The Adventures of Perseus Jackson
by Durza II
Summary: More godly and monster encounters. HalfBloods are now more powerful because they can use chakra. Percy is definitelty not wimpy and stupid anymore. Everything in italics at the beginning of a chapter is Percy's history when he was born. Very important.
1. The Nightmare Begins

Percy woke with a feeling of dread in his stomach. Something wasn't right. He could smell it in the air, he could taste it on his tongue, he could feel it on his skin. It was the feeling you got just before the unexpected happened. Right now that feeling was like a swarm of hornets buzzing in his cranium. The soldier's sense, as his mentor would have said. Despite all this, he lay in his bed, unmoving, relaxed, and for all the world knew, a peacefully sleeping boy. In truth he was anything but. After a while he dismissed the entire encounter and prepared to get back to sleep. That was when he heard it. A faint clang in the darkness, a series short hurried breaths, and the unmistakable sound of a cackle.

Percy slid out of bed silently, and then made his way to the window. From the safety of the shadows, he looked undetected at the scene unfolding below.

There was a man garbed in a great black cloak, and above him were three huge, winged … flying ladies? At first he couldn't believe what he was seeing and suspected that one of his school mates had given him some hallucinogen. He quickly discounted the idea for two reasons. First was the fact that he would have easily tasted or smelt such a drug in his food or around his person. Second was the fact that this was boarding school, and at boarding school all kinds of freaky things happened. It was a rule that affected every boarder, which is why there were so many myths and legends at boarding schools all over the world. It was probably some bored guys trying to start their own myth and get into the pages if history. There was something odd, however, and that was the cloaked man looked familiar. Somehow. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew that somewhere in his memory there were facts bursting to get out. This kind of feeling couldn't be created by hallucinogens, no matter how powerful a drug it may be. And neither could pranksters be this good. This was beyond a child's level and way into the George Lucas/Stephen Spielberg level.

His facial expression unchanging, Percy watched one of the three flying … thingies suddenly lash a flaming whip at the cloaked figure, only to miss by centimetres. No, not miss, Percy decided at once. He could see from the way the grotesque … whatever held her whip that she had practised her skill for a long time, and that such a miss would be beyond her to commit. No, the cloaked figure had moved out of the way, a fluid nearly imperceptible movement, like water. At that thought, pain suddenly seared through Percy's head, like a migraine coupled with three extremely bad headaches. He grabbed his head between his hands, silently writhing in pain. Even with his eyes closed, black and red spots moved in front of his eyes, and all he could do was grit his teeth as the feeling of ten thousand knives plunging into his brain surfaced simultaneously with another cackle from the winged … thing.

With agonising effort, he opened his eyes and put all his concentration to focusing on the events below. A vein in his temple pulsed visibly as a slight southern breeze sprang up, and with it came the words of the conversation taking place below. The sound of the cloaked figure's voice, definitely male, sounded frustratingly familiar. If he could only remember!

"Get out of our way," hissed the lead lady.

"No," the man replied calmly.

To take his mind off the pounding his head was receiving, he took the pause in the extremely short conversation to study the three winged apparitions. He studied all their features, their appearance, they way the spoke, and generally their being. He came to one conclusion, one impossible and utterly insane conclusion. They were Furies. It fit. All of it. Their bat-like wings, the flaming whip, the hissing voice, the yellow teeth and the agonising heat, fire and pain that radiated from their eyes. Percy shook his head, disbelieving.

_Maybe I did get pranked with some drugs,_ he thought almost wistfully. _I wouldn't put it past that ghastly Nancy Bobofit._

Despite his ability to keep calm under stressful situations, this was too much, even for him. And with this now extreme headache, it was impossible even more so. He closed his eyes, and took deep breathes. There was a rational explanation for what he was seeing, and all he had to do was separate the truth from the false, and he would soon have his answer. The only way to do this was to go down there and get as close to the scene as possible. He hesitated a moment, weighing up the pros and the cons. The most rational thing he could do now was go to sleep and forget this ever happened. It was never a good thing to meddle in affairs that didn't concern you. Another lesson his mentor had imparted unto him. For all he knew, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg _were_ shooting a movie down there. So all he had to do was turn round, get into bed, and shut his eyes. That's it. Those three simple steps. Nothing complicated whatsoever. But with Percy, nothing was ever simple. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Percy made his way toward the door, and making sure to shut it behind himself; he took the familiar dark corridors and stairs down to the ground floor.

_Besides,_ he thought to himself, _how am I supposed to sleep with this pounding headache?!_

Taking a side exit, he made his way round the building and instantly took cover behind some bushes. Already he could feel the adrenalin pumping through his system, and affecting his thinking. It was always like this, ever since he could remember. Whenever he got into situations he thought were very threatening, his senses simply overloaded and all of a sudden he would become hyperactive … well, as more hyperactive as a guy with ADHD could be. But his mentor had taught him how to make that an advantage instead of a blight that made him blunder even more. The key thing was … well, to stay in control.

With this in mind, he spirited from bush to bush, indiscernible from his surroundings, just another nocturnal creature not to be paid heed to. Within minutes he was mere metres from where the Furies and the cloaked men where. Easing himself onto the earth, he listened intently to the conversation he had intruded upon, watching the scene from a gap in the branches and leaves of the bushes. Was it his imagination or did the hood of the man's cloak twitch a notch in his direction?

"… get involved?" asked the leading Fury?

"I am not getting involved in your business," the man replied tonelessly. "You are the ones invading my territory. There is something of value that I seek here as well."

"Aha!" the Fury exclaimed, with triumph on her face. "So you are after _it_ as well, are you? You are after the Lord's gratitude, aren't you? … or are you simply after _it_ for your own ends…?" By the end of her short speech, more distrust had crept into her voice and eyes, and she slightly tensed, as if expecting a confrontation to occur. Perhaps she was right, and if Percy had trusted his instincts and common sense like he had been taught to, he would have fled back to bed and ignored whatever sounds he might have heard. Then, he might have been safe from his fate, if only for a short while. As it was, Percy was about to be dragged into a world he had never fully believed existed, and he would hate himself all the more for the consequences his actions would bring. However, at that moment in time, he was blissfully unaware of what his future had in store for him.

The man suddenly tensed. "I am after no Lord's gratitude, and I'm certainly no bounty hunter! I am my own master!" Percy, ever attuned to others, was instantly aware that the man had said the something wrong. Apparently, so did the man. The man raised his hands in a placating gesture, and Percy was sure words were forming on his lips, but if they were, the Furies gave him no chance to speak them. With speed belying their bulk, two went straight for the dorm building, straight for his window, he noticed, while the lead whip-carrying Fury went straight for the cloaked figure, a snarl on her lips.

"Die, Half-Creature!" the Fury hissed. Whatever the man had been about to say or do died there and then as he jumped away from the angry Fury. Percy saw the man suddenly draw a massive bronze sword from within his black cloak and brandish it expertly it the ready position. _Perfect form,_ Percy noted. _Kind of like_ … whatever answer his mind was about to supply was cut short by a lancing pain in his brain. This was followed by howls of anger from the other two Furies, an explosion, and the unmistakable sound of rubble hitting the ground. The battle thereafter was short and decisive. From his point of view, Percy saw an effective plan put to use. The cloaked man, with the cover of darkness, drew two small shining bronze knives. When the Fury came attacking, he used the momentum of her attack to spin himself round and cover his own throwing action. The next thing the two other Furies who were coming to the aid of their sister knew was seeing a flash of light, followed by a dull pain in their heads. From Percy's point of view, he saw the two knives embed themselves in the Furies' skull, followed by an explosion of colour. The two Furies were gone and there was a clang of metal as the knives dropped to the ground. As Percy stood and made his way toward where the two knives had dropped, he saw drops of blood on the ground near the cloaked man.

The remaining Fury looked at what she had inadvertently caused, and rounded upon the man with … well, fury in her eyes. That was a mistake. As Percy had learned, never fight with emotion ruling your movements. He saw how letting himself be wounded had served the man two advantages. First, he got rid of two opponents, and second he gained the upper hand against the remaining threat. The Fury attacked, but this time the man had another surprise. When they were feet from each other, the man simply sheathed his sword. Not meeting the resistance she had expected, the Fury lost her balance and tipped to the side. Her left wing scraping hard against the concrete, her own momentum carried her into another bronze knife. She howled before, she too, disappeared. Percy was pretty sure she was looking at him in her final moments. Bending down to pick up the two knives, Percy whispered, "Good show." Even before the words, "Thank you," were whispered from behind him, he was pivoting on his right heel, the knife in his right hand aiming for where an ordinary man's heart would be. But his arm moved straight through empty air. Using his own momentum, Percy kept on pivoting on his heel and came lightly to his feet, facing the direction he originally had been. A cold shiver went down his spine. There was no way anyone could be that fast. A man who had been standing fifty feet away from him had managed, somehow, to go behind him, and then dodge his attack and go to stand ten feet away from him. No way.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I have other engagements," the man said apologetically. Without another word, the man raised his right arm from the shadows of his cloak. Percy tensed. The man clicked his fingers. A sudden pain flared brightly in his brain, followed by an encroaching darkness. Before he fell unconscious, Percy thought; _no way. Tomorrow is the beginning of the summer holidays. How could this happen?_ As usual, nothing was ever simple with Percy Jackson.


	2. A Strange Meeting

_The waiting room of this hospital ward was packed, as usual. Everywhere fluorescent lights buzzed and flickered, and the constant hum found in hospitals was louder here than in any other room in the hospital, save one. There was soft music playing from the speakers installed in the ceiling, though had anybody been paying attention to it, they wouldn't have approved of "_Smack My Bitch Up_" as the kind of song usually allowed in this type of ward. There were three nurses behind a reception desk, all well over their forties but trying to cover up the passage of time and disappearance of their youth with heavy makeup and skimpy clothes. Even if their youth, they wouldn't have been beautiful at all, but since an incident a couple of years ago, no one bothered to mention it to the ladies. In that incident a man had been impatiently awaiting news of his wife and had lashed out verbally at the ridiculous appearance of one of the ladies. He'd ended up joining his wife in hospital._

_But now, two years later, there was another impatient man in the room, pacing, and waiting for news of his wife. He was dressed casually in shorts and a summer shirt. He wore reed sandals and on the chair where he had been sitting, there was a fisherman's net. The shaft was four feet long, wooden, and ancient yellow in colour. The circular rim of the net was some kind of metal, the same colour as the wooden shaft, and also looked worn with age. The actual net was made out of thick, bright green, woven seaweed. _

_Right now that man was exuding a large, smothering aura. Every time each foot hit the floor you could swear there was a mini earthquake. The nurses were getting impatient as well. This man was taking all the attention away from them by making everyone in the room afraid to even look up. One nurse was filling her nails, one was moving from place to place behind the reception desk every few seconds, and one was chewing rather loudly whilst reading the New York Post. All of them had one thing in common at that moment; they were giving the pacing fisherman evil side glances. The fisherman looked utterly unaware, and was constantly glancing at the huge clock beside the reception point. Finally, he gave a strangled groan and rounded on the nurses._

"_She has been in there for ages! Why is there no news yet?" the man exploded. The nurses all looked at him condescendingly._

"_I have no idea, sir. Just like you, I have been in this room for the past hour," the oldest looking of the nurses replied._

"_Maybe if you were like other, **more responsible**, husbands you would have gone into the OR and helped your wife through this." This came from the youngest looking nurse in a whisper meant just to reach everyone's ears, though if **she** was the youngest was a debatable point. They all looked alike in their guises. The room suddenly went cold and quiet. A paralyzing feeling spread throughout the waiting room and in this kind of atmosphere it would have been possible to hear a pin drop. The fisherman's posture straightened and he looked at the nurses with terrible gaze. They weren't looking all that condescending now._

"_Listen, mort-" whatever he had been about to say was cut short by the loud opening of a door. They all turned to look as a middle aged woman with brown hair and a worn face enter the room. She stopped in her tracks as she felt the atmosphere in the room. She stood, dumbfounded and lost for words, her eyes riveting between the man and the nurses. It was the fisherman that helped her find her tongue._

"_Well, what news?!" he asked the doctor. The woman suddenly straightened._

"_The delivery was a success," she replied kindly. The smothering aura in the room suddenly lifted, and warmth returned to the room._

"_Thank the Fates!" the man exclaimed. "Can I see her?"_

"_Of course," the doctor replied._

_The scene was suddenly covered in a mist of haziness, and before long darkness descended so that everything was a pitch black vastness. The last image seen was of the man and the doctor going through the wooden double doors, and of one of the nurses getting her cell phone out … _

When Percy woke, it was with the same grogginess he had felt all day yesterday. Ever since he had woken up after that strange encounter, his mind had felt foggy and unbalanced. Literally. He hadn't understood a word the teachers who had found him said, and the meeting with the principle had been nothing but grunts, shrugs, and a whole lot of confused noises. Of course the police had been present, and before long his mother and Smelly Gabe had pulled into the parking lot in Gabe's camero. His mother had looked anxious. Gabe simply looked annoyed, probably because he had had to waste his precious fuel and drive his priceless camero.

From there on things had been unfocused, and he didn't remember much except for a few vague images. And now here he was, waking as if from the dead, after having a particularly weird dream. Shrugging it off like a snake takes off its old skin; Percy got up and went to have a shower. A long, wet, cold shower to help him wake up. It was time he got back to acting like his old self. There were thoughts in his head he had to sort through, and the quicker he did, the better. He took his time, letting the cold water wash over him, through him, and cleansing him entirely. He felt much better in the shower than he had for a long time. His mind cleared and for the first time he was able to start thinking about what had happened the night before last. Just then the door bell rang and a moment later he heard his mom call his name. Drying up quickly, he threw on some blue jeans and a white shirt. He combed his hair quickly but thoroughly and was down stairs in three minutes.

"Morning honey," his mom called from the kitchen.

"Morning mom," Percy replied, going into the kitchen. He was very grateful that Gabe hadn't woken up yet, but if the cheerful exchanges continued that wouldn't last long. But despite that, his mom was the only person Percy ever felt completely safe around, and she was the only one around whom he relaxed and looked and acted like a normal boy his age.

"Who was at the door?" he asked casually, delving into some left over blue meatloaf.

"Your friend from school, Grover. He's in the back yard." Percy stopped dead. Slowly his face took on the impassive expression he always walked around with, and his eyes became inscrutable orbs. His mother noticed the change instantly, despite the fact she was facing the other way. She always knew when her son's mood changed. She heard the clink of metal on china and looked over her shoulder too see him slowly eating his meatloaf. She considered telling him that it was rude to let his guests wait, but then decided against it. As it was, _she_ was in need of some heavy thinking. Things had been going pear shaped steadily ever since Percy's mentor and only friend had disappeared in an explosion, leaving Percy himself with not only an empty hole in his heart, but also a severe and oddly decisive case of amnesia. She heard the scraping of a chair, and a few seconds later the creak of the porch door. She sighed. Soon she would have to tell him. Very soon.

"Hello, Grover," Percy said tonelessly. Grover gave an almost goat like bleat in surprise and turned his back on the flowers he had been admiring.

"Percy! You have no idea ho glad I am to see you, my friend!" Grover certainly looked very glad. There was happiness all over his face, and something else as well … relief? Percy walked by Grover and bent on his knees to study the flower Grover had been looking at.

"A beautiful baby blue specimen of bearded Iris, don't you agree?" he asked Grover casually.

"Very much so!" Grover exclaimed. "I have never seen one so clean and pure!"

"Quite right," Percy said with a small smile. "My mom is crazy about anything blue. Which reminds me, would you like to stay for some blue pancakes?"

"No thanks, I only came in to check on you. You didn't look too good when you left with your mom." Grover was now shuffling his feet consciously.

"I'm better now. The cold shower I just had cleared away all the cobwebs. By the way, I never knew you were so keen on flowers." Percy still wasn't looking at Grover, something that made Grover all the more nervous.

"Oh, I have always appreciated nature," Grover said almost defensively.

"Quite rightly so," Percy said unfazed. "Who's your friend over there?" he asked Grover casually. Grover turned red at the insinuation, though later he would come to wonder how Percy had known Annabeth had been in the garden with them, let alone that she was a girl.

"Oh … she's Annabeth. A friend of mine. She wanted to come along to get away from the boredom of her house."

"Indeed," Percy said, finally rising and turning to look where the soft footfalls were coming from. The girl was wearing a Yankees baseball cap that covered most of her face in shadow, a pair of jogging shorts, a T-Shirt that said HALF-BLOOD CAMP on the front, and some white trainers. She looked about the same age as him and every bit the athlete, and her hand was warm and strong when they shook hands.

"A pleasure," Annabeth said in a strong, clear voice. "Grover's told me a lot about you." Percy cocked his head.

"That's funny. He's never mentioned you before." An uncomfortable silence ensued with Grover reduced to more shuffling, Annabeth looking steadily at Percy, and Percy looking straight back, a small smile on his face. Suddenly a shout from his mother saved matters.

"Percy, come here and help me, would you honey?" Percy waited a moment before replying.

"Sure, mom. I'm coming." With that, he left them in the garden without as much as a glance back.

"That was nice," murmured Annabeth. Grover groaned.

"I have got to be the worst satyr alive! How could I let that fiasco a couple of nights ago happen? I was supposed to be watching him."

"Don't beat yourself up too badly," Annabeth said. "He's a hard one. I saw it in his eyes."

"But what about my license? I've just gotta pull this one or I'm finished. You heard Mr. D." Annabeth sighed. It was all true.

"Very well. The only way out of this one would be to take him in right now. Take him to Half-Blood Camp and get it over with. That way, whatever happens next won't be your fault. But I still wonder what's so special about this one. I cant sense anything in him, but Chiron still insists otherwise."

"He may not look it," said Grover, "but I have seen something in him at times, in his eyes. I don't know either what Chiron sees, but I have seen that he does have a little bit of power inside him." Annabeth shrugged. Maybe he was a son of one of the lesser gods or goddesses then.

"Let's take him now then," Annabeth suggested.

"We can't yet," Grover said miserably.

"Why," asked Annabeth.

"His mom won't let us," Grover said simply.

"What!? She does realize the alternatives now that he's on the radar, right?" Annabeth asked, shocked.

"She wouldn't let use back when he was a child, and now she's saying we can approach the subject only after their trip to their cabin." Annabeth shook her head. Emotional attachments. This is what usually got everyone killed. But it was the parent's choice, and if a parent said no, then no it was.

Just then, Percy came back from inside the house, his face somehow changed. He looked … happy.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have a lot of packing to do. Maybe I'll see you after the weekend, Grover," Percy said in an almost merry voice. You could tell he was barely able to control his excitement.

"Maybe," Grover said miserably. "Hold on, here, have this." He handed Percy a card.

"That's my … er … summer address. Just five me a ring or pop by any time if you need anything. And I mean anything."

"Sure, pal," Percy said, absentmindedly putting the card in his back jeans pocket. He suddenly stopped, and looked back toward the fence. Annabeth did exactly the same thing. Had a shadow moved just at the edge of the fence?

"I have the oddest feeling we are being watched," muttered Annabeth. After a moment, they all headed back into the house.


	3. It All Goes Horribly Wrong

It happened that night. It happened that fateful, ill-marked night. Later, the people involved would wonder why they hadn't acted sooner, why they hadn't been more resilient, why they hadn't been more forceful. They would wish they had been smarter about the entire affair. As it was, two hours earlier, no one was any the wiser about the event that would be play a crucial role in the future of … well, not to sound cliché or anything, but it would play a very crucial role in the future of the world. It would also fulfill an obscure prophecy made by the Oracle at Delphi thousands of years before, one that only a handful knew about. Literally.

But right now, Percy was fighting very hard to contain his excitement, which showed you just how happy he was. Percy had never been an emotional boy. On the day he was born he didn't even utter a cry, much to the discomfort of the doctor and nurses present. He always had a direct gaze; a piercing and impaling gaze that stuck you to a wall and made you think it could see right through to your very soul. This was one reason why he had been ostracized as a child. No one could bear to be in the same room with a child that looked at you with eyes as intelligent as most adults. It was just plain creepy.

Anyway, Percy was treading very carefully today. He and his mom were taking Gabe's camaro, and he didn't want Smelly Gabe to rescind the "great gift" he had bestowed upon them. His mom had planned this trip for a long time, and he knew Gabe wouldn't have just handed over his camaro. She must have promised him something else in return. Gabe valued his camaro more than he valued his own life. Percy didn't care to think what she had promised Gabe, but if he could, he would help her. At the moment he was cleaning out the first floor, a greater task than he had imagined possible. He jokingly thought this should have been one of Hercules' tasks instead of cleaning the Augean stables. Later he would come to look upon that scene with the utmost disgust.

It was half an hour before he finished, and by then he was stinking beyond comprehension and in need of a bath. But he couldn't bath just yet. He had to make sure everything was well and truly ready. One effect of having ADHD was that deadlines weren't real to him at all until they were staring him in the face. This time he couldn't let that happen. He had to make everything perfect for his mom. It was the least he could do. As he looked around his room, noting every feature for the first time in ages, he wondered what tomorrow would bring. Filled with euphoria, he allowed himself to imagine a bright future where his mom would be happy, cared for and brimful of love. Another dream he would later look back at with disgust.

"I don't know, Sally," Gabe said in a grumbling voice

"But you promised, Gabe, remember?" said Percy's mom.

"I know I did, but I've been having second thoughts." Gabe gave her a side glance.

"I promise you, nothing's going to happen to your Camaro." By this time, Percy's mom was wringing her hands, nervous. After all this planning, she could feel the noose of failure tightening around her neck.

"And I believe you and all, but it's that crazy kid of yours I don't trust. I see the way he looks at me sometimes. He thinks I don't notice, but I do, and frankly I don't like what I see. Why, if I weren't the man I am, I swear he would knife me in the back!" There were chortles and snickers all round the tables from Smelly Gabe's friends. They were playing another round of poker, and as usual, Gabe was losing. Bad. He had lost over five hundred dollars in the past two days. That would have been alright had he won some back, but Gabe was well known for his bad luck. That's the reason why he actually had any friends, Percy thought. They were after his money … or his mom's money rather.

"Look, Percy will promise he won't do anything bad on this entire trip, and if he does, well…" Sally left the sentence unfinished, waiting for Gabe to pick the bait. He did.

"Alright then," he said in an obvious grudging voice, "but if I find even one scratch on my car, he will pay the damage." It was obvious Gabe was trying to hide a smile. There was no way Percy could pay, so that meant Sally would be giving Gabe more money. That was _if_ Percy misbehaved, which Gabe obviously felt he would do.

"Thank you, Gabe," Sally said with gratitude. She turned round and looked at Percy meaningfully. He got the hint.

"I promise not to misbehave, Gabe," he said with his eyes cast down.

"You better not," Gabe said gruffly. "Barely eleven and already giving me troubles. I have enough of them, let me tell you." Percy nodded like he knew would be expected of him.

"Good," Gabe said, but his tone of voice clearly told all he didn't trust the little ruffian one bit.

"Now, Sally," Gabe said in an oily voice that sent shivers down Percy's back, "how about lending me some more money, baby. My luck's turned sour all o' the sudden, and I need a little booster in my finances if I wanna win back all that dough." The message in Gabe's eyes was clear. No money, no car. Percy nearly exploded with rage.

_So that's what this little rascal's been leading up to! He wants more money!_ Percy knew that funds were tight enough as is. They didn't need another hole popping up in the wallet. But his mother merely handed over the money like she was supposed to, and got the car keys in return. After that, they wasted no more time inside the house. Gabe was as likely to change his mind as a chameleon changed colour.

Before long, they were well away from the neighborhood and making headway on the outskirts of town. They were quiet, the anticipation palatable in the air. This would be their second trip alone, and they wanted it to be as memorable as the first.

"Do you know where we are going?" Percy's mom suddenly asked. Percy blinked.

"No," he replied, a thoughtful look on his face. He realized he had been so busy he had forgotten to ask. Something he never did. It showed just how expectant he was. Apparently his mom was thinking along the same lines because he saw a big smile on her face.

"Good," she replied devilishly. She could tell the suspense was killing him. He never liked not knowing things. Later she would wish she had had told him. The secret could have made his decision easier and turned him away from the wrong path. Like everything else, Percy's life was full of and surrounded by regrets.

Percy suddenly felt a chill in his bones. It spread out into his entire body and soon he felt as if he was engulfed both from within and from without by an evil mist. He shuddered, not knowing what was happening to him. It felt so familiar somehow…

There was a sudden explosion on their right. Both mother and son jumped in their seats. Percy's mom instinctively swerved to avoid whatever it was.

"What the hell?" Percy's mom swore, and in the next instant added, "Sorry, honey." She never swore, and most certainly not in front of him. It was just one of the bad habits she aimed to dispel by example. Unfortunately, the method was lost on Gabe. There was another explosion, this time on their left. Percy's mom swerved to the right, and for a moment it seemed the car would tip over. After a second, the car regained its balance and Percy's mom wasted no time is accelerating. She glanced at her son from the corner of her eye. What she saw there both reassured and frightened her. Percy's face was calm and composed, all the joy she had seen but a moment ago in his eye gone. At least he wasn't panicking. But what frightened her was the fact he _wasn't_ panicking. Any normal person would be having a nervous breakdown at this point. All he did was sit there, face intent; eyes faced forward, and his hands gripping the side of his seat. She wondered if this had anything to do with what had happened eleven years ago. She wondered if this had anything to do with the decision she had made. She wondered now if she had been wrong and had destroyed part of her son when she had agreed to - BOOM!

There was a sudden explosion, but this time it didn't some from the sides, but from _under_ them. The car overturned in a roar of flames, turning three hundred and sixty degreed twice before turning an additional one hundred and eighty and coming to rest upside down. There was another explosion. This one happened right on top of them, and there was a rush of hot air as all the oxygen in the car was briefly sucked out. Percy and his mom had been taking a deep breath at that moment, and all of a sudden they found their lungs as hot as the afternoon sun. Agonizing pain they had never felt before suddenly seared into their body, and they could do nothing about it, not even scream. It happened within the space of a couple of seconds, but that was enough to nearly knock Percy's mom unconscious. The only thing that kept her awake was the patient but insistent voice of her son, telling her to try and calm down as he did all he could to free her seat belt, while his own was still fastened. It took a few minutes of frantic effort, but finally they were free. They wasted no time. They got out of the car as quickly as possible, which proved to be not too soon as Gabe's camaro blew up before they even five meters from the car. The shockwave threw them mercilessly into a tree ten feet away. This was just as well because an instant later they heard the flap of leathery wings, and then three huge thuds. A crunch of gravel told them the scene was being investigated and then they heard a voice that sent chills up their spines.

"They aren't here," one hissing voice stated. Percy nearly gasped. He knew that voice!

"I told you you were overdoing it," another similar hissing voice said.

"Shut up!" the first voice said. After a few seconds, the same voice asked, "What shall we do?"

"There is nothing we _can_ do," a new voice said, but this one wasn't terrible like the other two. It was rather melodic, and carried an enticing note.

"You, sister," the same voice said, "shall have to tell the Lord what happened. We aren't going to suffer for your mistake." There was a low hissing sound, presumably from the first voice, but a second later there was a flap of wings, and soon the place was silent again. Still they waited. After minutes, Percy's mom got down the tree, wary as a rabbit. Percy wanted to tell her to be careful and to be safe, but it was obvious that none of those words would be very helpful. Besides, it would be better to keep the silence. There might be other _things_ out there, just waiting for a sign of their location. So all Percy could do was watch as his mother disappeared from view. After a while, he heard the groaning of the car, and then the unmistakable sound of Gabe's trunk opening with a grinding noise. Percy winced, his ears instantly alert to any change in their surrounding environment. His mom came back moments later, her arms holding a big pack. She motioned for him to get down from the tree, and he did so obediently. She was already moving off by the time he got down. He followed, his mind churning with questions. His mother was slightly burnt from their experience, her clothes charred and her hair in disarray. But for all that, she didn't wasn't injured in any other way. And that was what worried him. Even he had reacted badly the first time he had met those things. She seemed calm and composed, as if she dealt this kind of danger everyday. Despite appearances, there had always been something about his mother he hadn't been able to figure out, some inner iron core that had always shone in her eyes whenever things got bad with Gabe. Such a light was shining in her eyes now.

"Sit down," his mother said commandingly after a few minutes of walking. They were in a clearing in the woods, surrounded by huge pines.

"Look, we don't have much time," she said breathlessly. For the first time he saw the desperation in her eyes. Something definitely wasn't right with his mother. He sat on the edge of his stone, suddenly worried.

"What were those things?" he asked

"I think you know," she replied with a steady gaze. He looked at her for a moment longer, and then nodded.

"They were Furies, as the Romans dubbed them. But the last voice didn't sound so … Fury-like," Percy added.

"True," his mother replied with a worried look. Abruptly she looked back at him, eyes intent.

"Now, no more questions," she forestalled him. He kept his mouth shut, more worried about his mom than he'd ever been.

"Take this," she said, and handed him the bundle. "It's yours now, by inheritance. Go to Grover. He will tell you all. I only wish I had been more honest with you in the beginning. Your heritage, you see, is very important, very secret. You must -" whatever she had been about to was suddenly cut off by two noises. One was a war cry of some sort; one was like a horde of gorillas. An instant later, two groups of people showed up in the clearing. One were some people dressed in armor, and one were some … well … gorilla-type-looking-thing - it was difficult to tell anything more in the gloom-. Percy had only time to take in their features before he was pushed to the ground by some strong hands. He tried to look up, but the arm kept its vicious hold. It was only when his "protector" was attacked that he was let go. He took the chance and immediately ran for his mom. She was also under the protection of another guy, but this one was older than most of the others. He looked nineteen, and had a scar on his face. Right now it gave his face a menacing cast as he surveyed the small battle. He only gave Percy one glance before dismissing him. This was alright by Percy. What he was after was his mom, and not approval. The guy gave them both some space, but he was still standing protectively in front of them.

"Are you alright," mother and son asked simultaneously. They both smiled then, suddenly alone in their own little world. But fantasies never last long, and this one lasted shorter than most as a sudden grunt brought them back to the real world. They both started, shocked out of their reverie. The guy who had been guarding them was lifted and thrown sideways by a particularly large gorilla-type-thing. It was only when he saw one close that Percy realized what it actually was. A sloth-demon. They had been recorded down the ages in connection with many bad events, and descriptions and details always varied as most mythology varied among cultures, but the one thing these stories all had in common was the description of the human-like face and the long talons of the sloth-demons. Percy shook his head, convinced he had gone insane.

"That's it," he muttered. "I have got to steer clear of those meatballs they serve at Yancy Academy."

"Oh, their real alright," his mom said grimly from beside him. Before he could turn to her and ask what she meant, she got up and rushed straight at the monster.

"Mom!" he cried in panic, but it was too late. She was already on top of the monster. However, what happened next completely and utterly amazed him. Merely feet away, his mother suddenly stopped in her tracks, the sloth-demon's talons falling short of her.

_I didn't even see that attack! How did she?_

His mother then folded both thumbs, pinkies and ring fingers into her palms. With the two remaining fingers, she stepped forward on her left foot and thrust both her hands at the monster. If was lifted of its feet as if it were a piece of paper in a gale force wind. It thudded into a tree and disappeared in an explosion of dust. All Percy could do was gawk.

"Percy!" His mother's shout awoke him, and picking up the sword dropped by the guy who had been protecting him, he made to go for his mother. He stopped when he heard her scream. A sloth-demon had managed to get behind her. It was now wringing her neck, and he could see her eyes glazing over.

"P-P-Percy," she managed to stutter, but she had used her last breath, and before his very eyes, his mom, the one person who loved him and was his rock, his foundation in an otherwise inconstant world, exploded in a glitter of gold. He shook his head. So far, he had been able to stomach all the strange happenings, thinking he would find answers later. He had been so happy only two hours ago, joyful at the notion of his mom and him, spending a few days alone, together. Now that was nothing but wishful thinking. His resolve, which he had worked so hard to keep, now shattered like glass. Amid the battle in which he could have been very helpful, he did the one thing nobody would have expected him to do. He dropped his sword and ran.

He ran for what seemed like hours, until he couldn't hear the clang of weapons on talons. He ran past trees and bushes, which were only blurs he couldn't concentrate on. He ran until his legs could no longer carry him. Only then did he stop. Only then did he drop to the ground. He sat there, pupils dilated, short of breath, and shaking very badly. His eyes kept replaying the scene he had last seen. The scene in which his dear, dear mother had been … no, he couldn't think about it. His mind wouldn't accept it.

He turned suddenly, looking into the wood to his right. He had heard movement. As if from smoke, a cloaked figure appeared. He inhaled sharply, in shock. It was him! The same man he had seen on his last night at Yancy Academy. The man who had begun it all. He uttered a strangled moan. The man raised his hands in response, in a gesture that said, "I mean you no harm."

"Listen, boy, I know it's difficult right now, but you must come with me and-"

"NO!" he screamed. He wanted nothing to do with these people. He wanted nothing to do with their world.

"Consider boy. Where will you go? Home? To Gabe? I don't think so." The way he talked grated on Percy, even his know-it-all mannerisms. No, Percy definitely didn't want anything with him. Then he suddenly felt a chill, similar to the one he had felt in the presence of the Furies, only stronger, and more deadly. He looked instinctively to his left. There, on a slight rise in the ground, stood a petrifying and fearsome figure. He was three meters tall, albino white with jet black hair, and a robe that seemed to move as if with a life of its own.

"Child," he said smoothly, reassuringly. "Come with me." Percy instantly felt that he should be the one being obeyed; he should be the one he should listen to. He was the one most experienced and knowledgeable…

"Yes, child. I can give you power," the man said as if in response to Percy's mood change. "I can have you taught by the best fighters and academics that ever graced your world, and mine too. I can have you taught things you never imagined possible. I can give you strength," the man said, crunching a fist, "and knowledge beyond your wildest dreams. I can give you the means to get revenge on your father. I can help you get revenge for what just happened to your mother." That was it. This terrifying figure had cinched the deal. Revenge on his father, who had run out on his mother without so much as having the guts to marry her when she was with child, and instead choosing to go on a sea voyage that had never made it back. And revenge on those sloth-demons, who had murdered his mother. Yes, they would all pay. He rose on silent feet, no longer shaking and afraid, but with new confidence and assurance. He had a purpose in life again, thanks to this stranger. The huge albino man took his hand, and as he turned round, Percy saw again the cloaked figure, still standing there, silent as a statue. But he could swear he saw sadness in the cloak, though he couldn't see the man's eyes.

"I will also settle my score with you," Percy said menacingly to the cloaked man. The man merely shook his head and drifted back into the trees.

"You lose, Half-Creature," the albino man beside Percy said haughtily. And then they were gone, disappeared in a silent explosion of shadow. From the trees, a voice came.

"You have made your decision, Percy, and now you will have to live with it. I am only sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me most. I am sorry I took your memories of our time together as mentor and student, friend and friend. I am sorry I left you alone." And then the cloaked man truly disappeared. He disappeared for a long time after that, losing contact with the world, until one day much later when he heard the whisperings in the wind, the whisperings he had been hoping for, but never dreamed would come to pass.


	4. It's All Explained

_The fisherman and the doctor wasted no time in getting to the hospital room. Despite the composure she had developed over the years, the doctor couldn't help but slowly edge away from the fisherman. Under the circumstances, no one would have blamed her, mortal or otherwise. The man's presence was becoming palatable again. With each step it seemed that a giant wave was crashing down onto a little beach village. The doctor frowned as she used this metaphor. That wouldn't be the type of thing she would have said under any circumstances. In fact, she had never used any simile or metaphor to do with the any large body of water. She suffered from sea sickness. And had the man she was walking with known that, his effect on her would have been a million fold. After all, you just don't tell the Sea God you get sea sick. That just won't do. It won't do at all._

_What can anyone tell you about a general hospital? It's big, it's old, it's ugly, it smells of drugs and somehow, despite all the new laws, legislations and incentives the government uses, it's always understaffed. That's democracy for you. So I don't think anyone will be surprised when they find out that the entire basement of the hospital flooded because of some "rusted" pipes. The hospital had to spend thousands of dollars on repairs, and because some intensive care patients' lives depended on a fully functioning hospital, thousands more were spent paying patients' paying off the patient's litigation charges. That's U.S.A for you. The only place where money is valued more than lives … or rather where lives are valued in terms of money … or whatever._

_As of now, the two new parents were embracing the child, nearly choking him to death, and the only thing doctor could think at that moment was the calming sound of waves crashing onto a rocky shore, the sound gulls overhead, and the salty smell of the sea. Again, she mentally shook herself of those strange thoughts. It was … unusual to have calming thoughts that could also cause you to have nausea and vomit at the same time. She took this chance to prattle on about the baby's specifics, and then left them to own company. It was only ten second later when she heard a scream. Rushing back to the room, she opened the door, heart thudding with fear. What she saw inside made her faint where she stood, and a moment later it also made a matron who had been passing by sink to the floor because of all his legs had become to shaky to support his rather bulky frame. And what was it they saw that reduced them to this state? Well, that's answered easily._

_The entire room was covered in blood, blood they knew amounted to at least 20 pints. A human body only has 8 pints. That meant that two people were dead, and one in critical condition. But both of them were season medics, and a little blood wouldn't have gotten in the way of the duty they were required to perform. No, the only reason was they allowed this lapse in protocol was that under all those bloody sheets, wallpaper and damaged machinery; the room was absolutely empty …_

Annabeth slowly walked downhill. She had been depressed ever since she came back, and now that news of the last mission as a failure had leaked, she was even more so. This had been the last chance. Chiron had given in grudgingly, saying that if something went wrong this time, missions would be suspended indefinitely. He said they were all just too young and lacked the training necessary to survive monsters. As it was, three had been seriously injured, and one had nearly died had it not been for Chiron's own medical expertise. He was now lying in critical condition, facing a slow recovery. The sloth-demons they had encountered were more numerous and more powerful than expected. Only Luke's guidance, fighting experience and unwavering command had gotten them all out alive, if barely. She felt her chest swell with pride … and something else, but today she didn't feel inclined to pursue those feelings. Losing out on missions was just too much for her to handle in one day.

She made her way to the arena, and watched Clarisse pounding some Demeter kids to the ground in the palaestrae. She considered joining to vent some of her emotions and also to give Clarisse someone her own size to pick on, but then remembered that she wanted to speak to Chiron. Something had been bothering her for a long time now, and after what had happened previously, she couldn't keep it to herself anymore. She had thought of telling Chris or Luke, but she didn't want to sound whiny in front of them so she had opted for the lovable centaur instead. She just stared blankly at the people training below, her heart undecided. She kept running through all her past memories, and the more she gave thought to it, the more the ache in her heart increased. And yet she couldn't go back on what she had said. It was all so confusing!

She stood up suddenly, determined to get these feelings off her chest. She rushed down the stairs to the ground, and even ignored Clarisse when Clarisse said, "Running away, Wise Girl?" If she didn't resolve this now, she would be forever wracked with guilt. She jogged to the main house, and found Chiron alone on the porch, reading a book and sitting in his magic wheelchair. He didn't acknowledge her as she sat down next to him, and his only response when she cleared her throat loudly was, "Mr. D will be back very soon. You know he doesn't like it when someone sits in his chair." Annabeth squared her shoulders and said, "I need to speak to you, Chiron." Chiron lowered his book and to her amazement, he was smiling.

"I was expecting this conversation to pop up one of these days," he said.

"You were?" she said, now nervous.

"It's about Percy, correct?" She nodded mutely. Chiron sighed.

"I thought as much," he muttered. He was quiet for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts.

"Percy's case is … complicated." Chiron stopped again, frowning. He opened and closed his mouth several times, obviously trying to regain his tongue.

"Who's Percy? Is he the kid that yesterday's teams met near Montauk? And is it true that he ran from the fight when his _dear mommy_ was killed?" Both Chiron and Annabeth started and looked toward the front door to see who had been eavesdropping on them. Annabeth wasn't at all surprised to see that annoying little kid, Keith or whatever his name was.

"What do _you_ want?" she asked aggressively.

"Annabeth," Chiron chided. Annabeth gave the kid a filthy look before looking away.

"Keith," Chiron said, "I hear your grades are dropping, especially in your archery lessons. Perhaps if you spent more time practicing, you'd give your father reason to be happy." The barely veiled threat instantly made Keith stand straighter, and with a filthy look at the two of them, he marched down the porch stairs and toward the range.

"Heroes these days," Chiron muttered, shaking his head. "Back in the day …" Chiron didn't bother to finish the sentence. Instead, he turned back to Annabeth and smiled.

"Things used to be simpler back then."

"Don't change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject. Percy's is one case that is very complicated, though it shouldn't have been." Again, Chiron paused, and this time Annabeth had to wonder if he was stalling until Mr. D showed up or if he was thinking up some lies. She wouldn't put it past a guy who loved to mentally torture his pupils. Chiron put a marker on the page he had been reading and then put the book aside. He rested back in his seat and looked at the sky.

"Percy was the most untalented hero to come this way. You know all this; he was in your team. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't develop any abilities. He couldn't even mould chakra, something even a five year old can do. He -" Annabeth cut Chiron off, he face livid.

"What are you trying to hide? I already know all this! We were in the same class!" Then Chiron did something Annabeth wouldn't have expected. He smiled.

"I'm not saying this for your benefit. I'm saying this for Sam's benefit." Annabeth frowned.

"Sam? What has Sam got to do with anything? Surely you're not saying that he's been here all the time …" Annabeth suddenly stood up and looked all around the porch but couldn't find Sam. She suddenly heard a chuckle from above her. She looked up and saw Sam vault onto the porch from the side of the roof. That's where he'd been listening in on them from. The roof. She shot daggers at him. He held up his hands apologetically.

"You've been on a war path these past few days. I just wanted to find out what was wrong with you is all." Annabeth simply looked at him, not answering.

"Calm down children," Chiron said. "Now, as your team mate, I think he deserves to know the history of Team 7." Annabeth looked away, fuming silently. Chiron gazed at her for a few seconds, but she just ignored both of them. He shook his head and turned back to Sam.

"Percy Jackson," Chiron said. "A half-blood, though no one knew who his god-father was. His mother absolutely refused to tell anyone who it was, for whatever reason, the gods know why. He was as the least talented hero I have ever come upon, and bare in mind I taught Telamonian Ajax."

"Ajax the Great?" asked Sam. "I thought he was one of the greatest heroes ever."

"He was," Chiron, "but only after years of hammering that big skull of his. It took me over a decade to teach him proper strategy, and even after that he was the dimmest commander you could ever come upon in the Trojan War. Still, he was a great fighter, only second to Achilles, and I suppose it was muscle rather than brain that meant survival." Chiron sniffed a little, just enough to let his opinion be known on such a matter.

"Anyway," he continued, "he possessed no natural talents. He could not mould chakra, which immediately meant he could not do any illusionary techniques or any elemental techniques like the rest of you. The only thing left for him was taijutsu, hand-to-hand combat, and weaponry, but his mastery of those aspects was sketchy at best. So in the end all I could do for him was give him extra lesson with Gai, but even those weren't enough for him to keep up with the rest of his class. With such massive disadvantages, he always lost to anyone he challenged. I'm not trying to put him in a bad light. The lad tried his best. He always practiced every chance he got. He put his heart and soul into those arts he was capable of mastering, but he just couldn't match up. Besides, this is the most talented class we've ever had at camp. There was simply no way hard work could overcome genius, but he wouldn't accept that -"

"And neither does Gai," added Sam. Chiron smiled.

"This is exactly why I scheduled extra classes with Gai. They are remarkably similar, Percy and Gai. Anyway, the Chunin exams came, and Percy did very well in the first two tests. In fact, in the first written exam, his mark was only second to Annabeth's. And in the second exam he managed to find the other scroll he needed on the second day. It was only in the preliminary matches that things went wrong. He was matched up with Luke, Chris, Clarisse and even some of the Apollo kids. He never stood a chance. Each match he was either grievously wounded or an inch from death. His mother decided she had had enough then. She pulled him out of camp. We tried to persuade her otherwise, but she said that being the "bottom feeder" was depressing Percy into fits of rage, and besides, she could protect him if some monsters came."

"What happened," Sam asked in a hushed voice.

"She found a sorcerer, the gods know where, and had Percy's memories of camp, of his entire life basically, removed. He no longer had to put himself in life or death training to match up with the other kids, and he could go to a normal school and live as normally as possible." Chiron heaved a great sigh and looked toward the camp's borders, deep in thought.

"So that's what's been bothering Annabeth," Sam said. "Looking into someone's eyes you have known for your entire life, and him not being able to recognize you. Ouch."

"Only four years, actually," Annabeth suddenly said. "I came to camp when I was six."

"Really?" Sam asked, intrigued. She rarely talked about her past. "Why did you come here?"  
"That," she said, standing up, "is none of your business, half-brother." With that, she turned round and walked back to the cabin they both shared, Athena's.


	5. An Immortal, A Medjai and A Monk

_Despite what the doctor thought, and what she thought she saw, the events that unfolded inside room 463 went in a totally different direction. Sally Jackson was beside herself with joy. She couldn't remember being this happy in her entire life … which was just as well because she had never been a happy lass. From the moment she was born, her destiny had been decided. Her life was laid before her like an ancient rug she couldn't touch, feel, or even dust. Her path was set into stone, and she hadn't balked or argued once with it, just like the perfect girl she was. It had only been when she met Victor that her life had brightened considerably. That had been- … but that, of course, is another story._

_Presently, Sally was enjoying the best day of her life. She simply couldn't keep her hands of her young son. She was practically bubbling with excitement, a rarity. But it was her "husband's" reaction that surprised her the most- it would have surprised anyone really. He was happy as well; he was smiling, he was laughing alongside with her, he was holding the baby, practically stealing the baby from her arms. The feeling, the atmosphere, inside the room, was simply miraculous. After all, how many times does a god celebrate, actually celebrate, the birth of his son, a hero? _

_Poseidon managed to convey the urgency of this occasion without ruining the moment for Sally. It had only been recently that he had told Sally what only a few beings knew, gods and immortals and monsters included; when a hero is born, it exudes a powerful aura –as the godly interior is wrapped by the mortal exterior –which every monster in the vicinity can sense and can't ignore. This is why the children of gods are always born in a secret location, or at least with the protection of their godly parents. In the case of a child of the Big Three, the aura is so powerful that no amount of protection will suffice; monsters will always sense the presence of the child. _

"_Let us leave, Sally," Poseidon said. A shadow passed across Sally's face._

"_I wish we didn't have to, I wish things were easier. I simply wish for our son to have a nice life."_

"_I wish the same thing too," Poseidon said heavily. "The fate of a hero is not a happy one." Suddenly, there was an explosion of glass and sound, followed by the hissing and slithering sound of a monster. Poseidon stiffened._

"_Get behind me, Sally!" And for a woman who'd just had a baby, Sally moved pretty fast. She gathered up her son in her arms and stood behind the sea god. Poseidon gathered up his arms and cast out a see green spark of magic around them. He suddenly gasped, and for a moment, the green magic failed. That was all it took. A streak of black shadow flashed, and a second later a Sally screamed as her baby was ripped from her hands._

"_Naughty Barnacle-beard," an oily and chilling voice said. "Protecting your son like that! Why, one must almost think you are trying to save his life! And shame on you! Fathering a child when you swore on Styx not to do that anymore … with mortals, that is." The voice came from a five foot long black dragon. A little history about it is that it's not a son of Echidna, mother of monsters, like all others of its kind. It's much older, dating back to the Golden Age when the titans ruled. _

"_Dregs," was all Poseidon said. _

"_Nice to met you after all these decades," Dregs replied. Sally suddenly gasped._

"_Is it true," she said, trying in vain to keep the fury from her voice. "You swore on Styx not to father children with mortals!? I cannot believe you put our son in danger like that!"_

"_Not now, Sally," Poseidon grunted._

"_Keeping secrets now, are we?" Dregs sniggered. _

"_For God's sake, Poseidon!" Sally screamed. "He's got my son!" Poseidon couldn't help but feel hurt. A moment ago it had been "our son". But he knew he deserved it. Sally had trusted him, and he had let her down._

"_I said not now!" Poseidon repeated with more force. "Your son is quite safe. If Dregs wanted to kill him, he would have already done so."_

"_True," Dregs said, waving around the little baby at his tail enticingly._

"_Then what do you want?"_

"_I'm a mercenary, my dear friend. I rarely get involved in the politics of titans and gods. I simply do what I'm hired to do." Poseidon's eyes narrowed. Dregs had included the word titans just to rub in the salt on old wounds; it was well known that of the three children of Kronos, Poseidon was least in favour of cutting up his father. And this also told Poseidon that something sinister was afoot, for Dregs didn't get involved in anything 'decent', if a god could use that term correctly. _

"_What do you want with my son?"_

"_Me?" Dregs asked innocently. "Why, I want nothing whatsoever to do with this brat, but unfortunately, my client does. And what grand plans he has!"_

"_Dregs…" Poseidon said warningly. He was prepared to attack, but what he didn't expect was Dregs suddenly opening his jaws and biting his son on the neck, like a Vampire in the movies. Both Sally and Poseidon shared a moment of horror; a dragon such as Dregs had a poison in his fangs more deadly anything else in existence._

_Poseidon acted. He put a magical net around Dregs before the reptile could teleport out. He understood why Dregs had bitten his boy; Dregs was the only one with an anti-venom to his poison, and if he somehow lost the child, the boy would die and his influence would be extinguished. If he got away, he would administer the anti-venom and the boy would be no worse for wear. The deadly thing about Dregs' poison is that Dregs can control how deadly and fast it affects the body, and so Poseidon had to act quickly or risk losing his son._

_He immediately threw a spike of magic at Dregs and his tail, effectively stopping Dregs from biting his son's head off. The spikes also served to force dregs to open his coiled tail and release his son. Without a second thought, Poseidon grabbed the falling baby, and Sally, and transported to the one place where Dregs' magic couldn't affect the baby; his underwater palace._

For a moment, Percy felt the cold touch of the shadows of death as he transported alongside … Hades? No! He realised with horror that the person who was holding his hand wasn't Hades, as he had assumed, but some other totally different being. The man was eight feet tall and his hair was jet black, which matched even James' own unnatural hair colour. His eyes were completely white, with no visible irises or pupils. His clothes were medieval, and he had a sword at his hip.

The moment of vertigo passed as they arrived at their destination. Percy managed to slither out his captor's grip, horrified how his own emotions and confusion had jeopardised himself. The man barely paid attention, and instead started muttering weird phrases that Percy somehow knew were ancient Greek. The man suddenly shook his head and fixed Percy with a frightening and yet impersonal gaze.

"You are causing me much trouble," the man said.

"Who are you?" Percy managed to stutter. His heart was thudding and he thought he was going to pass out from the terror he was feeling.

"My name is Aracnan," the man replied, surprising Percy because he hadn't expected to be answered.

"Your father sent me to make sure you survived your mother's ridiculous idea to pull you out of Camp Half-Blood." Percy started.

"My father? You know that wretch!? How dare he interfere with my life!? And what is this Camp half-blood and what has my mother to do with it?" The mention of his father, as it always did, drove away all the emotions raging through Percy, with the remainder of one; Rage. Percy hated his weakling father; he had abandoned his mother when Percy had been less than a month old, and had never come back fro his sea voyage. Now Percy no longer felt afraid or sorrow, but hoped that his wretched father was near so he could kill the son of a bitch.

Aracnan was surprised by the outburst, and more so by the intensity and reality of the boy's feelings; he could feel them at the edge of his mind, and he knew that if he went any closer, they would overwhelm him. Very few people could do this to him, and he was now very afraid of this boy and his destiny.

"Boy, do you have any idea what I have been going through for the past year, trying to destroy all the monsters that come after you?" Aracnan said, in an attempt to divert conversation.

"You aren't answering my questions," Percy remarked coolly.

"Boy, I don't have to stand here and listen to this insolence. Do you have any idea who I am? I could snap you in half without a thought! Respect your elders!"

"If you work with my father, whoever he is, then I don't and respect you and never will, and you can do whatever you wish to me." Aracnan could feel the sincerity in the boy's words; whatever he did, the boy would endure and would never beg for mercy.

_What have you begun now, Poseidon?_ Thought Aracnan.

"Listen, boy," Aracnan began, "we have no time for this right now. I will explain all to you later, but I am afraid I cannot tell you who your father is. He has to claim you himself."

"Claim me?" Percy said testily. "What the hell does that mean?" Aracnan gave a groan, and with lightning speed, hit Percy behind the neck. Percy fell unconscious, the bag his mother had given him still clutched tightly in his hands.

"That was a bit unnecessary," a voice said from the shadows.

"Sue me, medjai," Aracnan said without turning back. He sat down cross-legged and began muttering in ancient Greek again.

"Magic," another voice said from the shadows.

"Come no, Matsuda" the medjai warrior said. "Don't tell me you are afraid of a little sorcery."

"Of course not," the monk named Matsuda said, coming out of the shadows. The medjai warrior, named Al-Sahib, followed suit.

"Do you mind telling me what we are doing here, Aracnan," asked Matsuda. But Aracnan was concentrating on whatever spells he was weaving, so Al-Sahib answered instead.

"That boy, he's Poseidon's son."

"That much I could tell," Matsuda said mildly. "What I want to know is why I am involving myself in the plots of the gods."

"Aracnan was ordered by Poseidon to look after the boy when Sally took the boy's memory two years ago," explained Al-Sahib. "During then and now, he has fought off every monster that has threatened the boy, until quite recently when the Erinyes attacked the boy." The monk paled.

"Hades released his torturers?" Matsuda said softly.

"No, and that's the problem. Aracnan was in the underworld at the time, and can vouch that Hades did not communicate with his torturers. Therefore it can only mean that they are taking orders from someone else."

"But who, or what? They are loyal only to Hades. Not even Zeus himself could order."

"And we get back to the problem at hand. Whoever, or whatever is controlling them must be considerably more powerful than Hades to be able to command their loyalty."

"Chilling thought," Matsuda said.

"What's worse –"

"There's worse?" Matsuda interrupted.

"–is that this entity seems to be very interested in Percy," Al-Sahib continued. Matsuda suddenly stiffened.

"Please don't tell me you are saying what I think you are saying."

"I think I am," Al-Sahib said grimly.

Aracnan suddenly came out of his trance.

"No matter what I do, I can't seem to shake off the monsters and hide the boy's scent."

"We have no option," Matsuda said fearfully. "We must sacrifice him!" the other two just looked at him until he smiled sheepishly.

"I guess this isn't the time for jokes," he apologised. "But seriously, we need make sure the boy survives until his thirteenth birthday."

"Are we really going to take him back to the Camp," asked Al-Sahib with a frown. "Without Sally's blessing?"

"Indeed," Matsuda said. "She's the only being on this planet that scares me. I don't fancy having her as an enemy."

"Fortunately, she's not around to scare the crap out of us anymore," Aracnan said with forced humour. The other two looked at each other. They knew what Aracnan meant, and they didn't like what it boded.

"Maybe this can help," Matsuda suddenly said, bringing out a necklace of beads from his neck.

"Forgive me if my voice does not display my enthusiasm, but just what the heck is it and how could it help?"

"This," Matsuda said reverently and quite seriously, "is the Necklace of Buddha. Place it around the boy's neck, Aracnan. Good. Now, stand back … Replication Technique!" Matsuda shouted, his palms together. There was a large burst of energy, followed a deep silence.

"What … what did you do?" asked the medjai warrior. "I thought you didn't do magic."

"I don't," Matsuda said, "but this isn't magic. The Necklace's powers are many, and this is one of them; The Replication technique." Aracnan snorted.

"Fancy," he said, "but how does that help?" He looked at what the necklace had wrought.

"The Replication Technique not only divides a anything into three, but the inner strength as well. Now that he's divided, his godly aura is no more powerful than that of a son or daughter of a lesser god like Nemesis. In other words, tracking him through magical means has become impossible, especially with the Necklace on. The only way left is through old-fashioned tracking, and if we each take a Replication to our lairs, we can safely keep him from harm."

The medjai and Aracnan just stared at Matsuda.

"You know, sometimes I almost forget you are mortal, Matsuda," Aracnan said after a pause. Matsuda bowed.

"I shall take the boy to my Pharaoh's tomb at Gaza," Al-Sahib said.

"And I shall take him to Terayama," Matsuda said.

"Well, I don't have a permanent home, but I guess the underworld is as good a place as any," Aracnan said after a pause. They both looked at him.

"Are you insane!" shouted the medjai warrior. "The underworld is where all this activity is centred! It's where 'ITS' powerbase is!"

"Exactly," said Aracnan calmly. "It's the last place they will look. How could a boy child like him get there? Besides, 'ITS' powerbase, as you covertly put it, is in Tartarus, not the underworld. We will be extra safe because Hades protects his realm, no matter how much he hates it, with great ferocity."

"Very well," said Matsuda. "We shall meet again in two years."


	6. The Punisher

_Poseidon had not time to rest. Immediately after they arrived, he summoned his Nereids._

"_Got to the library and find me a cure for this venom," he said loudly._

"_But Lord," one Nereid said hesitantly, "only Dregs himself knows the anti-venom. He has guarded the secret closely for eons. No one knows–" She suddenly stopped, knowing she had spoken wrongly and out of turn. Her master was in no mood for excuses, simply results._

"_Of course, master," she said hastily._

_The Nereids swam for dear life, not wanting to be caught by their master slacking. He was dangerous in this mood._

_After they had left, he turned to Sally, knowing she would be in the same position on the floor, cradling their sleeping baby. For a moment, he considered going to them, but then decided he wasn't particularly welcome. He instead went to the balcony of the room and overlooked his palace. The sight never failed to take his breath away, and even now he took a moment to appreciate the beauty of it. But then he turned back to the matter at hand. There was no way to find the anti-venom without approaching Dregs, so what other options were left to him? He had to keep this a secret, or else Hades and Zeus would visit their wrath on him and Sally and the boy. Also, if this remained secret, the oath he had made over Styx would be nullified, if only for a while. The power of the poison and the venom would kill the boy instantly._

_He went to Sally after a moment. The boy was awake, though he twitched now and then. Poseidon was impressed. The boy was faring better than he had expected. Then he looked into the boy's eyes; they were an icy cold blue, radiant and defiant. Just that expression of suppressed pain filled him with pride. The boy was a true son of the sea god._

"_He's a strong one," Poseidon said after a moment. Sally ignored the comment._

"_What's his name?" Poseidon persisted. _

"_I haven't decided. I had thought it was something we could decide together, but…" She left the sentence unfinished in a tactful silence._

"_There is no reason we can't decide now," Poseidon said. "I know I have kept things from you, but I am a god, and there are things I have to keep from you. It was selfish of me to have a child with you, knowing what I do, but by Styx you are beautiful! I couldn't help myself. I know that's no excuse, but you are the most beautiful woman I have met for millennia." Sally couldn't help blushing. She also understood where Poseidon was coming from, but still that didn't put their child out of danger._

"_I understand," Sally said after a moment. "But what of our child? What shall we name him?"_

"_I am sure you have given this a great deal of though. You decide what his name shall be."_

"_I was thinking of Perseus," Sally said carefully. Poseidon tensed. That was the name of an olden hero, back from when gods still walked the earth without disguise. It was the name of a great hero, and Zeus' son. But after a moment's consideration, he smiled._

"_It's a wonderful name."_

_The Nereids came back a few hours later. Poseidon sensed their excitement immediately, and he couldn't help but feel a spark of hope._

"_Have you discovered the anti-venom?" he asked, not bothering to hide his excitement._

"_No, my lord," one of the Nereids said. Poseidon visibly caved in on himself. "But," the Nereid added quickly, "we were able to find something else that might be of help…" Poseidon turned his eyes back to the Nereid. He could sense excitement as well as trepidation._

"_What is it, Maria?" he asked, eyes narrowed. Nereids, like their freshwater counterparts, were very wily and liked to play games; he was in no mood for games. The Nereid quailed under her master's gaze._

"_We found a scroll in the Old Library…" The Nereid stopped, giving her master time to digest the information; the Old Library housed information from the end of the Golden Age and the beginning of the Age of the Gods. After a second, Poseidon motioned for her to continue._

_The Nereid took a deep breath._

"_It says that … that Dregs was made from the flesh of Oceanus. He got into a fight with a Cyclops, Polyphemus, and was wounded grievously. The flesh of Echidna was infused onto him by Zeus as reward for services rendered, but that is beside the point." She stopped, and Poseidon knew she was waiting for a sign from him to show whether or not he understood. He didn't._

"_Your point, Maria?" he asked testily._

"_My lord, if you could somehow get the power of Oceanus to try and heal the boy, the best case scenario would be a total cessation of the flow of the poison…" She cringed, and rightly so, for Zeus had long ago forbidden any contact between gods and titans. That's why all titans were long ago bound in one way or another, even those who had helped the gods during Titanomachy, the Titan War._

"_I see," the sea god said slowly._

It was dark. The sun had set but a few hours ago. Despite that the forest was heavy with activity as the dryads as they sang to the trees and dished out food to the hungry heroes. Annabeth looked at every hero on every table and couldn't help but smile. A lot had happened in the last two years. The heroes themselves had surprised Chiron and even Mr. D; in all of the camp's history, they were the most talented group ever. Even now when most of them were teens or adults, they had all fought an impressive amount of monsters and won, and no one had been killed in the last two years.

Immediately Annabeth's mind turned to Chris. He was the one exception; just under a year before, Chris had woken up early in the morning and left camp for unknown reasons. Luke, his younger brother, had taken that very hard. Why did his brother have to leave? All Chris had said to his little brother was that he had lost all hope for 'this pathetic Age' and 'this pathetic camp'. Luke had tried to fight Chris and beat some sense into him, but Chris had displayed some new abilities no half-blood should have. Luke was left a bloodied mess at the camp's borders. Annabeth had been one of the few people to see Chris walk away from his dying brother and disappear without a trace. She had cried. Her heart went out to Luke, but from then on he had changed. He had lost all his smiles and was now a person who was only concerned with getting the mission done and doing it right. He had become a machine. In two years he had transformed himself from a talented young boy to the best warrior the camp had seen in three hundred years, and he was only fifteen. She couldn't help but feel proud of him.

Chiron got up from his table and tapped his coke can to get everyone's attention. Unfortunately a metal-on-aluminum sound is hardly loud enough to get the attention of raucous, battle hardened teenagers with too much sugar and euphoria in their blood. Mr. D, always in a bad mood, had no time for such shenanigans. He snapped his fingers and thunder sounded throughout the entire valley.

"Listen up, brats!" he shouted in Ancient Greek. Everyone shut up. It was never good to get on Mr. D's bad side. Not that he had a good one at any rate.

"Thank you, Mr. D," Chiron said mildly. Then addressing the camp, he said, "I am proud to announce that the gods have kindly invited all members of camp to attend this year's winter solstice celebrations on Mount Olympus!" This announcement was met by silence, for the gods rarely had time for their offspring, but then everyone started cheering. Mount Olympus! They would be going to the home of the gods! Annabeth could see the hope in the eyes of most of the kids in the Hermes cabin; maybe they would be lucky and their god-parent would claim them!

In another part of the world, two figures met on an ancient and sacred Chinese mountain. It was over a kilometre tall and had a perfect view of the surrounding country and forest.

Percy sat on the mountain's peak, looking at the sunset and wondering how he could go back to Camp Half-Blood. After he had been replicated and had gone away with his three mentors and protectors, the spell that had taken away his memory had slowly disintegrated. He remembered everything –the pain, the humiliation, the anger, everything. But he was a changed person now. He could pull through all that humiliation. He would.

He suddenly straightened his back and started chanting the mantra Matsuda had taught him. From behind, he heard soft laughter.

"You can never deceive me, Percy," the monk said. Percy smiled.

"No, I don't think I can." Percy started chanting again and they remained in their positions for a while.

"Well, are you excited?" Matsuda asked after a while. "You are going back where you belong."

"It still feels strange being whole again. How did you undo the Replication? I'd grown used to that empty feeling. I feel bloated now."

"You'll figure that out one day, with a brilliant mind like yours."

"You give me too much credit. And besides, a brilliant mind can't beat true talent, true genius."

There was a silence.

"Listen, Percy," Matsuda said heavily. "You are going back to Camp Half-Blood with your head held high, understand. You have been taught to fight and think and understand these past two years by the best warriors that ever set foot on this earth, and that's not bragging. So what if you can't use a little half-blood magic?"

"If I had been even a little competent with chakra, I could have stayed at Camp Half-Blood. I could have trained and become stronger. I would not have had to suffer so much humiliation because of my inadequacy. But those are just the small reasons. If I had been competent, mom wouldn't have had to die."

There, he'd said it. For the first time in two years, Percy Jackson had finally said what he saw that night. His mother was dead.

"Have you finished feeling sorry for yourself?" asked Matsuda. Percy didn't answer.

"Come on Percy. Say what is in your heart. That's part of what I have taught you."

"Then the truth is that I'm nervous, scared even. I could not bear the shame of humiliation and failure."

"You won't fail," Matsuda said simply.

"I hope not," Percy said quietly.

Annabeth drank another gulp of her coke and couldn't help but let loose a laugh. Olympus was amazing! All that ancient architecture and most of it built or invented by her own mother! She simply couldn't get enough of the marble pillars with depictions of Athena and a few other gods and goddesses in famous scenes, such as the time Athena won the competition to be Athens' patron goddess. Her heart gave a whoop of triumph then; a great victory for Athena over Poseidon.

She gave a nod as she met eyes with another half-blood from the Athena cabin who was busy sketching a portrait of Homer. Annabeth knew the girl. Her name was Marcie, a talented artist. Give her a description of anything and she could draw it as if she had seen into your mind. Her eyes roamed the chamber room, looking for Luke.

That's when she saw him. He was standing alone in a corner, which surprised her since there was always something to do on Olympus. He had pitch black hair, pale olive skin, a straight nose, full lips and sea green eyes. She noticed that on top of his exotic, unusual features, he was wearing strange clothing. It took her a moment to recognise them as Japanese. He was wearing a kimono shirt, three-quarter kimono trousers, sandals, and there was a long, bundled object slung across his shoulders. But it was the face that caught her attention. She knew those eyes. She knew those inscrutable, placid eyes. She knew that calm, impassive expression on his face.

Annabeth ran toward Marcie. She needed help, immediately. For whatever reason **he **was here, it wasn't good.

"Marcie," she whispered urgently. The girl didn't seem to hear her.

"Marcie," she whispered again, shaking the girl this time.

Marcie did seem to hear her. "What?" Marcie asked, clearly annoyed.

"Do you see that boy over there? Well, I need your help –"

"What boy?" asked Marcie, eyes unfriendly and suspicious. Annabeth knew that Marcie didn't exactly fit in at Camp, so jokes were always played on her. That had made the girl very untrusting. But Annabeth wasn't in the mood for this.

"I mean that boy over … there…" Annabeth turned round to point him out, but the boy wasn't there anymore. In fact, he was no where in the chamber at all.

Just then, Sam came running into the chamber. Her looked disheveled with his hair in disarray and his clothes untidy, but most of all he looked plain scared.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth and Marcie asked in unison.

"It's Zeus! His –" sudden thunder lanced through the air. This high up it felt like their heads were being split from the inside. They heard lightning cracking outside the building, and had no doubt that the skies of Mount Olympus had darkened with black clouds.

"– Lightning Bolt has been stolen!" finished Sam.

A shocked greeted his announcement inside the whole chamber.

_**Ten hours later.**_

Annabeth was fuming.

She had told everyone about Percy's presence on Mount Olympus, but as Chiron had been quick to point out, Percy couldn't have stolen the Lightning Bolt and still had time to evade capture, especially with Ares, Artemis, Apollo and Hermes hunting him. But Annabeth had argued that she had seen a long bundled object on Percy's back, but again the matter of the gods rose up. They would have sensed an object of that power within the city limits. But Annabeth was convinced. Percy was up to no good.

"Give the guy a break, will you," said a voice. Annabeth whirled and found Sam standing behind her.

"What would you know about it?" she asked hotly.

"Enough. Look, we've already established that he couldn't have taken the Lightning Bolt, and even if he had, he would have been caught. Besides, he's only half god, and there's nothing he could have done with it. Why don't you just admit that you were wrong and move on?" by the end of his ran, Sam sounded really pissed off.

"Just go away," she said. "I need to think."

"Suit yourself," he said, and he turned round and started to go back to the Camp proper. "But I always thought that you were better than this. That competitive streak of yours will get you into trouble one day. The poor kid, this Percy, was as smart as you, or even smarter, and he wasn't in Athena. You can't handle that. Why can't you except that things don't always go your way? Leave him alone."

Annabeth didn't turn around, but continued to walk into the forest.

When she got back to Camp proper, there was a hush among the half-bloods. She tried to catch a few Apollos but they were hurrying back to their cabin and had no time to talk. She ran toward the big house, wondering what was going on.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," said a voice from behind her." She turned round, but there was no one there.

"Up here," said the voice. She looked up and there was Sam, casually swinging a leg whilst sitting on a branch.

"What's going on?" she asked.

He looked closely at her face. "Percy's back," he said finally. Her only response was a shocked silence.

"He's back," Sam repeated. "He came here with two guys, a monk and a medjai. They are speaking with Mr. D and Chiron. It seems your claims earlier about Percy stealing the Bolt have reached godly ears, and now Hephaestus is due to arrive here any moment to judge whether Percy had anything to do with the theft."

Annabeth stood in silence. All this was too much to bear. It had been two and a half years since she had seen Percy, three and a half if she discluded the time Grover and her had gone to New York to try and convince Percy's mother for Percy to come home. She gave a long sigh.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is only beginning?" she whispered to herself.

"Heads up," Sam said softly. The door of the House opened and out strode four figures. In front stood Chiron, half man, half white stallion. Behind him came an old Japanese man who Annabeth instantly recognised as Matsuda because she had read about his history the previous month.

"You didn't tell me it was **the** Matsuda," she whispered to Sam, but he didn't reply. She srutanised the third man. He was middle-aged, sun-worn and carried a broadsword at his side. His attire caught her eyes. He was definitely a medjai alright. She didn't have a chance to see the fourth figure as a big fire suddenly roared in the middle of the road. A second later it died, and instead of Hephaestus, there stood a twenty foot monster. She was about to signal the call to arms when three things clicked in her mind. First of all, no monster could enter the camp, especially one so powerful without someone summoning it. Secondly, Chiron didn't seem to be panicking, and neither did the others. Thirdly, she suddenly remembered the tale of Hephaestus' greatest creation who became his second-in-command.

This was no monster.

This was Korgan the Destroyer, also known is modern times as The Punisher.

"I guess they've come to a decision," muttered Sam wryly.


	7. Judgement Fight

_Poseidon walked down the corridor, unaware of the different creatures that passed him, deep in his own thoughts. He was thinking about what Maria had said. There was a way to save the boy, and that way involved going against one of Zeus' most ancient laws. It wasn't that he was bothered about breaking a law of Zeus'; he had done that a lot of times over the millennia. In fact, saving the boy was the furthest issue in his mind. The main issue that was bothering the brooding sea god was the question of why he was even bothering with the fate of this one mortal. Over the millennia he had sired many children – both mortal and immortal – but this was the first time he had put so much work into caring for a child of his. The second question was the matter of Sally; what was it about her that sent his heart beating like it hadn't done in thousands of years? She was a one-in-a-million type of woman, no doubt about that. She was strong of mind, body and spirit but was nevertheless a gentle creature. He attracted to her in a way he had never been before. Was that why he was willing to go this far to save their child?_

_He turned down a corridor into a much older part of the palace. Very few people … or creatures, rather, ever came down here. In fact, he had all but banned access into this part. The newer parts were all good and well, but coming here brought back long memories of days past when things were much simpler. He had discovered that of all living creatures – and dead creatures – mortals were the fastest evolving. In a few thousand years they had evolved from un-intellectual barbarians into … well, moderately intellectual barbarians. _

_He kept going down level by level until he arrived into the oldest part of the palace. This was the original palace built so long ago on the foundations of another, much older palace; a palace that had been raised by Oceanus, the titan who was the swirling oceans of the world. It had been here Oceanus and his sister-wife, Tethys, had resided in the later millennia of their rule._

_Poseidon walked slowly to a regular looking doorway, but inside wasn't a room but absolute darkness. Light was absorbed and none of it was reflected. Poseidon took a deep breath before taking a step into the darkness. As always, he got the same sense of vertigo. This was one thing he shared with mortals; he feared going into the unknown. What truly lay beyond the darkness? Being immortal, he both knew and didn't know, which often was more curse than gift. After a few seconds of motionless suspense, the oppressiveness of the darkness lifted. It was still absolute darkness, but he got the feeling, as always, that he was in a light blue room, like under the sea. _

"_Welcome back, Child. It's been quite a while," came a soft voice, booming at the same time. It was soft, clear and cultured, but booming in the fact that it seemed to surround him, like mortals' digital surround sound system._

_A small smile spread over Poseidon's face. "Hello, Oceanus. And I count it at what, a millennia?"_

"_Too long," the Titan of the Oceans said. _

Silence spread over the camp. Korgan hadn't left Hephaestus' forges in five decades. He radiated pure heat; all emotions that were connected with fire came to the surface around him. Even the youngest campers knew of Korgan, for big his reputation was, and they all moved back a little so they were at the edge of his influence. Unconsciously, they also freed their weapons so they could react faster should they be needed. Most of the Apollos had their bows in hand as they had been going to advanced archery class with Chiron, and the Athena and Ares cabin had their swords because they had just been to a double period sword class with Luke as the instructor.

Korgan was seven foot tall, made from pure celestial bronze with gold and silver linings. He had two bright green emeralds for eyes, his ears were tapered to a point, his mouth was lipless and he had no hair, eyebrows or eyelashes. His physique was well defined with a huge, barrel-like chest, a six-pack and muscle bound arms. In fact, if he weren't made from bronze and had jewels for eyes, he would have seemed quite human. His only piece of clothing was a war skirt favoured by the Roman warriors. A large, bronze gladius – a Roman sword – hung at his back by its cross guard. It had no sheath so the edges and point gleamed wickedly and invitingly at all who stared – an irresistible death.

Korgan's emerald eyes moved slowly in their sockets, assessing and evaluating all they saw, from camper to camper until finally they came to rest on Percy. The Punisher's face remained impassive as he looked into Percy's eyes. Percy did not once flinch or avert his gaze. He stared back with the same sense of inner strength in his eyes. Korgan spoke finally.

"The gods believe you to have stolen something of value, young hero." The Punisher's voice was rumbling and gravelly from misuse, but nevertheless commanding and severe.

"I didn't," Percy said. He was still looking into Korgan's eyes, his body relaxed but unassuming. Korgan looked at him for a moment, then his eyes strayed over to the cabins and the surrounding forest.

"This is all politics, and what more, godly politics," Korgan said disgustedly. "I do not believe you stole the item, but I have been ordered to either return with the bolt, your dead body or not at all by Zeus." The Punisher's eyes came back to rest on Percy. He was still in the same posture, his back straight, his body relaxed and his expression impassive.

"This is an unredeemable event, but a soldier does what he is told, isn't that so, young hero?" both of them still had not moved from their respective positions, but the air started to crackle with energy as both contestants readied for battle. Everyone but Percy, the medjai and the monk had moved back to a safe distance, even Chiron. Percy gave a small nod.

Fast as lightning, Korgan jumped into the air. He brought both palms together and took a deep breath, and when he released it, a great fireball raged down toward Percy and company. It covered the distance between them in seconds and hit Percy and company head on. A hush filled the clearing as Korgan dropped back to the ground and watched the smoke clearing. After a few seconds, The Punisher shook his head sadly, commented on how unnecessary the deaths were, and turned back toward the spot he had appeared. A small fire was building up there, a portal. Several members of the Ares and Hephaestus cabins commented on the strength and speed of Korgan and the fire technique, the Great Fireball technique. It was supposed to be a minor C rank attack technique but the way it had been used superseded that.

"Please don't tell me that's all the great Korgan is capable of," came a voice from the edge of the forest. Korgan turned round slowly, surprise all over his face. He looked at the hole his technique had caused, then at the three emerging figures.

"Replacement technique," he commented softly, his impassive expression returning. "A minor technique any child can do, but to do it so fast and under such conditions? An interesting adversary you shall make, Perseus Jackson."

The monk gave Percy a gentle shove. "Acquit yourself well, Percy, but I am afraid that it is time we left. There are many matters we have to attend to. We have been called for duty."

"You still won't tell me who it is?" asked Percy softly. The medjai shook his head.

"Orders are orders, young warrior," Al-Sahib said, "but for what it's worth, I think you already know. You aren't lacking in brains unlike me, after all!"

"Don't tempt me," Matsuda said good-naturedly, but then he looked at the waiting Korgan and his face regained its serious expression. "I don't know why – maybe Buddha is calling me and my subconscious can hear – but I have a feeling that this will be the last time we meet. Whatever happens, I know you shall survive. Here, have this." The monk reached under his robes and took off his necklace. He put it around Percy's neck, kissed him on the forehead and turned round and shadowed into the forest without another word. Al-Sahib murmured an "Osiris bless" and went after the monk.

Percy stared after them for a moment, then turned round and faced Korgan. His back was straight, his body relaxed and his eyes alert.

"You have been bidden farewell, young Perseus, and you have bid those you love farewell. I gather you are prepared to die then." It was not a question.

"I am prepared for no such thing," Percy said. Korgan shrugged and muttered, "They never are."

Percy spread his legs and formed his hands into the tiger seal. Korgan raised an imaginary eyebrow as if to say "I don't know why you bother" and took hold of his sword. Percy smiled, but then his face turned totally expressionless and he crouched down, eyes closed, face down, and formed his hands into a strange symbol; it was like a sphere, with all fingers meeting. It was only apparent for a few seconds, and then all of the sudden, Percy disappeared. Korgan raised an eyebrow. "That's a very good trick," he commented, "but not good enough," he added as he moved his head sideways, dodging a knife that had come from behind him. He reached behind his back with his left hand and grabbed an invisible object. A moment later a leg came into visibility, along with the rest of Percy's body. Korgan threw Percy into the nearest cabin wall, which happened to be twenty yards away. But as Percy hit the wall, he suddenly exploded into a puff of white smoke.

"A Replacement? Interesting move, but what's your motive?" mused Korgan out loud. The Hephaestus cabin gave an appreciative sigh; replacements were one of their favourite techniques. A shout suddenly came from behind Korgan. He turned round and saw four Percys all standing with their hands in the ram seal. They were attempting a Shadow Bind technique. Their shadows stretched, but Korgan was too fast and he dodged them easily. There was little light left so the shadows could not stretch far.

"I guess you are out of luck, my friend," said Korgan. "Let me put you out of your misery." Again with lightning fast moves, he ran toward the four Percys and cut at them all with his sword. The all disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"All of them are replications? Your stamina amazes me, boy," Korgan said. This time it was the Apollo and Ares cabin that sighed appreciatively; after all, they were the cabins that had campers with the most natural chakra. "But again you seem not to grasp that I am your superior," continued Korgan. The next attack was a blur; Korgan turned round and loosed three knives. They flew with great speed and their aim was true. To everyone, it seemed that they had hit solid air, but a few seconds later, gurgling sounds filled the air and three Percys appeared with knives in their hearts. Korgan looked five more knives in different directions and again invisible Percys were hit, and then they all disappeared in puffs of white smoke.

Korgan frowned. "You are beginning to annoy me, boy. I have a valuable item to find."

"Then I won't hold you anymore," came a response. Korgan turned round for the last time, back in the direction of the forest where the original Percy had disappeared. Slowly the original Percy became visible, and to everyone's shock, he was still in the same position. Even Korgan seemed amazed, and his limited facial expressions managed to convey even that.

"You coordinated the attacks from there? Without me sensing you?" Percy shook his head. "It's the smallest detail that always escapes notice," Percy said. He rose from his crouch and flicked a hair off his face and opened his eyes. They gleamed with triumph. "Shadow Bind, success," Percy announced. Korgan looked like he was on the edge of losing his patience for the first time.

"Are you joking around with me boy?" he asked. He brought his right arm up, trying to throw his sword, but Percy suddenly stood at attention, and Korgan, because of the Shadow Bind, dropped his sword and stood at attention as well.

"Do you want me to show you how I did it?" asked Percy, and without waiting for an answer, he turned his own head sideways, and Korgan's head copied the movement. Everyone looked at the spot Percy meant; the hole the fire technique had created. A thing, long shadow stretched from it.

"He used the ambers to provide light for his shadow, and the hole itself to stretch and hide the shadow. Genius!" Chiron was positively beaming, despite the fact that Korgan did not look amused.

"What now, boy? You cannot hold me forever. You don't even have enough chakra to hold me for another five minutes."

"Patience, Korgan," Percy said. He started walking to ward Korgan, and Korgan had no option but to walk toward Percy. Percy stopped ten paces away from Korgan. He formed his hands into the tiger seal and summoned up a large amount of chakra.

"What are you doing, boy?" Korgan sounded bored. Percy didn't answer, but he suddenly thrust both palms into the ground. "Twelve Heavenly Points!" shouted Percy. A circle of light suddenly Korgan. Eleven purple lines raced toward Korgan, and when they were within a foot of him, they nearly formed a circle, leaving space for one more line. Korgan paled, if possible.

"I know this technique," whispered Korgan. Percy gave a half smile. He reached behind his back and took the object that hung there. He pulled off the cord and the leather wrapping fell to the ground. In his hand he held one of the objects his mother had given him before she was murdered. In his hands he held an object of great history, none of it good. In his hands, he held a jian blade – a Japanese sword – known as the Heavenly Sword of Kusanagi. Percy brandished the sword two-handedly and struck downwards with it. A purple flame ripped across the ground and completed the circle. Korgan had only time to say, "Oh," before a blinding flash of light engulfed him.

After a few seconds, the light cleared and Korgan was revealed … or what was left of him. He was in pieces. Percy's attack had destroyed him and all that was left was the head –half chewed off – and his gladius and the war skirt, still intact.

Half of Korgan's mouth moved. "Well done, boy. You used the replications as decoys and also used them to write down eleven of the twelve seals required for this technique. You had already done the first. I would applaud if I could. You are very intelligent. Even before we fought you had already though of a plan." Percy did not say anything, but merely sheathed his sword.

Korgan's eyes burned brightly. "But this isn't the end, boy. I will be sent back, or another in my place shall come to finish the job. The King of the Gods does not take defeat lightly." With that, a fiery haze surrounded Korgan's head, and after a second, he disappeared, every last piece of him.

A silence gathered around camp. No one knew what to do or say, even Chiron. Most campers knew Percy from when he was still at camp a few years back. He had been hopeless, barely able to summon chakra and not able to use techniques. Now he was an intelligent warrior who could use techniques, but to be fair, the amount of chakra he could summon could barely compete with the children of the lesser gods and goddesses like Nemesis and Aphrodite.

Suddenly a shout came from the big house. Everyone turned and saw Mr. D standing on the porch, looking absolutely livid.

"What's this, Chiron? I leave for an emergency meeting for **three hours**, and look what happens to this place! Are you that incapable? Do you have any idea how much it will cost fixing this? And the earful I will get from Zeus and the Dryads! The noise fixing this mess will take. Why, I will never get a moment's sleep! Tell me, which one of these brats is responsible?"

"Well, Percy had a fight with –" Chiron never got to finish.

"What? Him? He's back? Well, I have the perfect welcome back present. He's going to clean all this up, **by tomorrow with no noise**, or I will turn him into a dolphin and feed him to some hungry Great White Sharks!" With that, Mr. D turned round and walked back into the house, banging the door.

"And that is how he comes back to camp," Sam muttered to Annabeth, but when he got no reply and looked down from his branch in the tree, she wasn't there.


	8. Percy's Got A Teaching Job

_Poseidon stood in the heart of the darkness, reflecting on the words the titan had just said. __**You know why you are willing to go so far for this mortal woman**__. Were they true? Did he really know why he was willing to go so far for Sally? Reflecting on his own existence which stretched back for endless millennia and would stretch forward for millennia more, he was forced by his own conscience to come to one staggering conclusion; he loved Sally Jackson._

"_At least you aren't all stupid, Child," Oceanus' voice emanated from all around. Poseidon started._

"_Now you can read my mind?" the question cam out much sharper than he had expected. Being the Sea god, he was not accustomed to being so out of control of any situation. Only Zeus – and at times Athena – dared oppose him outright in any venture. The rest of them just had to tread carefully lest they spark up the Sea god's famous temper. But all Oceanus did was chuckle._

"_I was master of the ocean tides long before you, Child. The flow of the sea around you is, or rather was, very calm." Poseidon had to smile._

"_Getting back to my predicament, old man, what do you think I should do?"_

"_I have no answers, Child. Should you choose to let the child die, that will be your choice. Should you choose to keep the mortal, that will be your choice. Should you choose to make the journey to my prison, that too, will be your choice."_

_Poseidon frowned. "You sound like these modern day, mortal, wise men; a lot of vague talk and no true answers whatsoever."_

"_I see some things have not changed over the millennia," remarked Oceanus. Poseidon remained quiet. Thoughts were whirling through his head. Sally was an amazing woman. She was independent, strong, gentle and loving. She was caring, always thoughtful of others and tried to help when she could. The gods naturally thought of such behaviour as mortals' weakness. But Sally was different. She was no one's fool. The very fact that she had not challenged him was evidence that she did not regret their meeting and had a strong hope that he would come through for her and their baby. __**Their baby**__. Such words had not struck home to his heart ever. _

"_I see you have come to your decision."_

"_Do you know what that decision is?" asked Poseidon asked._

"_No, but there is an air of decisiveness about you that I have never felt before so I can make an educated guess." With that, the presence of the sea, Oceanus and the darkness lifted and Poseidon once again found himself standing in front of a regular looking doorway._

_Sally watched the Nereids playing with Percy. She couldn't help but smiling. He was a handful already, despite the fact that he was only a few days old. He kept grabbing the Nereids' hair. At first they had been scandalized by such un-courtly behaviour, but he had grown on them. Poseidon had disappeared after their audience with him and they saw now fit reason to treat these mortals with any respect. In fact, Maria had nearly fed them both to a mako shark that had swum along into the chamber, but Sally had displayed her rare fighting skills. Even now, three days later, Maria still bore the scars and half-healed wounds. But for all that, Maria didn't look like she could be any happier. Little Percy was riding a dolphin and chasing all the Nereids in a game of tag. Sally shook her head. Now this was a scene she had never imagined possible. She could barely believe that they were actually underwater, breathing oxygen._

_A silence started gathering throughout the entire palace. It was a magical silence. It started at the very bottom and most ancient parts of the palace, then slowly ascended to the chamber where Sally was. The Nereids felt something, probably the same thing Sally felt – and what Percy felt for he had stopped laughing and was very quiet – and lined up on both sides of the entrance. Poseidon came through the entrance, except he wasn't the Poseidon that had left. He was wearing his toga and held his trident in his right hand. He looked at the Nereids as he advanced to his throne, and the effect of the whole moment was nearly ruined when he gave a small, twitching smile at Maria's broken nose. But it was gone after a second and Poseidon continued to his throne. When he stood before it, he turned round and stretched a hand toward the dolphin bearing Percy, who came to him at once. Sally's heart fluttered. Did this mean what she thought it meant?_

_Poseidon turned and looked at Sally square in the eye. Yes, she thought, it does mean what I think it means. Our baby will live!_

_Sally drifted over to Poseidon._

"_We shall cover up your absences, my lord," said Maria. Poseidon gave a nod. With a small wave of his trident, Poseidon, Sally, the little dolphin and Percy disappeared in a puff of sea-green smoke. _

Percy felt the first hint of sunlight on his face and willed his heart to beat faster and his mind to enter consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked at the heavy green foliage that surrounded him. He could see streaks of the orange morning sun through it. It looked like it was going to be a clear day, maybe a little windy, but that's all. He slowly rose to a sitting position, careful not to let himself unbalance and tip off the tree branch. He had been sleeping in the forest, or more accurately, at the edge of the forest, ever since his first night at camp. It was natural, he remembered, for the Hermes cabin to take in any undetermined kids, but the cabin had looked full and also he wanted some peace and quiet. He had found that living with Matsuda, Al-Sahib and Aracnan had brought out and conditioned a part of his life that he had never knew existed; a wanderer.

Being back among people, even half-bloods, had turned him instantly wary and guarded. He was always formal with the other campers, not wanting to make bad blood between them or have to resort to any kind of violence. His return had created a buzz and everyone was impressed with the improvements he had done with himself. Of course, that did not mean they acknowledged the fact that he was better than most of them, if not all. In their puny little minds they still thought of that nine year old boy who had no talents whatsoever but for his competent mind. A sneer briefly flashed on his face which he instantly suppressed. Control your emotions, Matsuda had always instructed. Only when your mind is clear can you achieve what was normally beyond you.

Percy sighed and stood up, one hand on the trunk for support. Last night had been some Ares kid's birthday and the older Hermes kids had snuck in some alcohol. Even though he had tried to keep the drinking to a minimum – not drinking would have only made him a target from those Ares bullies – but as the night wore on he had started swigging can shot after shot of scotch until 1 a.m. before he finally marched himself into the forest and into the foliage of this tree. He hadn't had the strength to keep going deeper and to the ancient tree he usually slept in. It had a big hollow high up and was the perfect place. No one would find him there.

With another sigh he jumped down the tree from branch to branch until he landed silently on the soft ground. He made his way to a tributary of the river that ran through camp. He stripped and sank gratefully into the cold water. He took a gulp of air and sank to the bottom of the river. He grabbed an underwater root to prevent himself from being carried away by the current and let his mind go blank.

He didn't know how long he had spent underwater – he had always been able to hold his breath for a long time – but after a while he began to hear the singing. Again. That's another reason why he preferred the forest to camp cabins. Ever since his first night he had heard unearthly singing coming from the forest. At first he had thought that it was the Dryads, but as the days wore on, he realized that it wasn't the wood nymphs singing. There were jut too few voices for it to be wood nymphs singing; Dryads always loved singing in big groups. And neither was it the satyrs; satyrs would not be this deep in the forest in such numbers. The dryads would get the wrong idea and a fight could brew up. No, this was something different.

Percy opened his eyes underwater and looked downstream. His heart nearly stopped. An inch from his face was another face, staring at him in amusement. The face was glowing soft blue and held an ethereal beauty. It seemed familiar somehow. A hand reached out and touched his face. He instantly dried up. He couldn't understand what exactly as going on. The buoyant effect of the water disappeared and suddenly it was as if he was on dry land. Slowly he stood up and faced the creature. It gave a peal of laughter at his wariness and swam a little way downstream. He watched as several others joined it. They were female, he noted. Female river spirits. That made them Naiads, didn't it? The Naiads started singing the song that had haunted him for two weeks now. It was a beautiful song, not of words, but of pure unearthly voices. It brought tears to his eyes, which were instantly washed by the current.

The current. The river. The cold water. Those thoughts hit him, and the thought that he was underwater suddenly hit him like a pile driver. He suddenly felt the coldness of the water, the wetness of it. He felt the current grab at him again, it seemed, with greater force. He felt his lungs crying out for air. With powerful, if erratic strokes, he swam for the surface and took a deep, satisfying gulp of air. He looked downstream and noticed a head poking out of the river. The face's amused expression had gone and it was serious.

_You felt the power of your heritage, but you aren't ready yet to embrace it_. The smiling face came back, and with a wave of the hand, the Naiad dived back into the river.

Percy sat in the fudoza position, waiting for his students. Part of his responsibilities as a camp member was to teach any subject he was good at. When Matsuda and Al-Sahib had come with him, they had informed Chiron of all the things he was capable of. Now as part of his re-introduction into camp, he got to know the other campers by helping in lessons. There was nothing whatsoever to suggest that he was better than any other campers in any particular subject since he hadn't been graded yet, but this was the best Chiron could come up with on short notice.

Percy looked at the sun and sighed. They were late. Shaking his head slightly, he stood up and went to the weapons rack. He checked each and every weapon for kinks and made sure they were all in good working order. He checked the balance of each weapon – which was perfect – and the keenness of any that had blades – which was also good. He went back to his perch and sat in the fudoza position. He checked the sun. His students were fifteen minutes late.

Suddenly loud shouts came from down the avenue and after a few seconds, Percy saw his students, a bunch of rowdy Ares kids wearing leather padding on their head, chest, back, arms and legs. They were coming from the palaestrae, from wrestling practice. Percy resisted a sigh. This was going to be difficult.

"What's next?" asked one.

"Weapons lesson."

"Great, just what we need. More fun!" A howl of laughter greeted this remark. Percy took the time they were all distracted with each other to size them all up and gauge just far he had to go to make his point with hard headed Ares kids. After a second, he tweaked the lesson plan a little the allowed himself a smile; the Ares kids were not going to push him around.

"And here's the teacher," declared the loud mouth Ares kid, much to the amusement of everyone else. Percy did not even twitch. He looked levelly at the Ares kid, named John, and gave a slight, contemptuous smile.

"Shut up, John, and sit down, all of you. You are already late as it is and I don't want anymore of my lesson going to waste."

"Woo! Hear the big man speak." Percy moved faster than any of the kids could see, and he was younger than them all. He appeared in front of John, ho immediately tried to hide his fear and disable his opponent. But Percy merely moved out of the way of the clumsy move and gave a gentle pinch of an artery in the neck. John went down like a sack of potatoes.

"As I was saying," Percy said, continuing like nothing had happened, "you are late. I don't want to hear any excuses. Drop down and give me a hundred. Now." Gasps from the Ares kids were his answer. Percy turned toward them and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have anything wrong with that … Justin?" he said, turning on one the bigger and better kids.

"Yeah," answered Justin. "I do. Where do you get off giving us all punishments?"

"I am the teacher of this lesson, so it's perfectly within my right to give punishments. You were fifteen minutes late. It only takes three minutes to get from the palaestrae to here. Since there is no plausible explanation for you being late, you have to be punished. Discipline, Justin, is required if you are to become a competent warrior. I thought you would understand that most of all after you dismal performance two and a half years ago with the sloth-demons." Justin turned red.

"We were trying to rescue you, you ungrateful bastard!"

"And yet my mother ended up saving your life, and all because you didn't follow Luke's orders and came screaming like a dervish into a group of monsters."

"How dare you?" screamed a girl. "Justin is one of the best Ares warriors!"

"Which should tell you something, shouldn't it, my dear. You cannot expect to capture the flag in two weeks time with the way you are going." Justin lost control. He attacked. Big mistake. Percy was expecting it. After all, he had been goading Justin into it from the beginning. Percy simply vanished from sight an instant before Justin's punch should have landed on his stomach. Anyone who had been watching properly would have seen Percy somersaulting above Justin and coming back to land onto the tall guy's shoulders. He stood there a moment, waiting for Justin to become aware of his presence, then he fell forward – and clamping Justin's head between his feet – he twisted in the air and sent Justin flying into a marble pillar. The youth did not move.

"Right," said Percy, again as if nothing had happened, "I'm still waiting for those hundred push-ups." No one argued.

Ten minutes later, after Percy had thoroughly gone through most of the cabin's knowledge of weapons – a few of the cabin mates were missing – he told everyone to get a sword, a fencing epee in particular. None of them liked that idea much.

"Isn't this supposed to be a joint lesson?" muttered one. "Cabins teaching each other with one proper teacher?"

"Did you say something, Jim?" asked Percy mildly. Jim did not say another word.

"Right," continued Percy, "it seems clear to me that while you are all good swordsmen and swordswomen, you are all missing out on the finer applications of swordsmanship."

"What?" asked the same girl who had defended Justin. Percy shook his head.

"Which one of you is the best swordsperson?" he asked. Heads swiveled around, each person not daring to say they were the best but also looking for anyone who could be better. Someone mentioned it being such a pity that Clarisse wasn't there, then finally Jim stood up.

"I'm as good as you're gonna get for the meanwhile," he said with a grin. Percy sized up Jim, then took his own fencing foil.

"Kill me, if you can," he said. That took everyone by surprise.

"What?" asked Jim.

"The only way you could possibly defeat me is if you attacked to kill. Now, kill me, if you can." Jim looked him straight in the eye, then shrugged. He attacked.

It was evening. The camp air was still. Tonight was Capture The Flag night. And because Mr. D was feeling especially moody, he had said there were no rules. Play at your own peril. And because of recent events, Chiron had agreed. Each camper had to get tougher. Even normal lessons had been advanced. Tonight, they were not playing in cabins, but in four man teams. Of course, if you won, the victory would be for the cabin, but now you had to fight your own cabin mates as well to be the team that got the flag to the safe-ground, which was a small island Mr. D had created in the middle Lake Blódhren, which was deep in the forest where the more dangerous creatures dwelt.

Percy silently came back to his team's base from his reccé of the surrounding terrain. The base was an underground cavity located at the base of an old tree west of the forest. Percy had spotted the small entrance – an ordinary hole any animal could dig up – and could not resist deepening and widening the cavern beneath so that three people could fit inside comfortably. He had made sure not to be followed back to the hideout and now jumped into the hole and landed silently on the ground beneath.

"All clear," he reported to his team mates. They tried to hold back their surprise. When Percy had left, he had ordered them to be on high alert in case they were discovered. He had just dropped in on them and they were none the wiser.

"Then let's get some shut eye. We move at midnight. We've got four hours so I don't want any of us falling asleep while others get the jump on us, ok?" This came from Casey, the oldest one of the group, and although he wasn't the group leader, Percy let him take command for this one time. Capturing the flag was important to all his team mates. Aside from a god claming a child, the flag was one of the few ways a camper could be determined. The cabin held the essence of each other the twelve Olympians and the other gods. During competitions such as these, the flag was an embodiment of the gods and when a camper touched it, the symbol of the camper's god-parent appeared on the flag. For these three, Percy knew, this was their one long shot at being finally determined. Personally, Percy couldn't care less what happened; he wanted nothing to do with his god-father, whoever that was.

Percy looked carefully at his three team mates. Casey, tall, lean, with slightly dark features, which gave him a dangerous look. His chosen weapon was a _bo_, a six foot long stick, thick, made from elm. Simon, also tall, but slightly fat, which suited his fighting style very well because he was a taijutsu type whose style depended heavily on his weight. And finally Jackie, a short but fiery character. She always had something to say about something, a disease every vertically challenged person seemed to suffer from. Yes, he could see the need to be determined and become accepted by the others burning fiercely in their eyes.

"Yes," agreed Percy, "let's sleep."

Percy looked at the moon. It was around two in the morning. Already they had managed to disable ten of the thirty-six teams, and Percy was sure he wasn't the only one who had come up with such a strategy. All in all, he thought it safe to say that twenty teams were down for the count. That still left sixteen unaccounted for, but this near daybreak, he had gone to the next stage of his plan; to lay in wait at the edge of the lake and wait for the team that brought the flag and snatch it from them. Again, he was sure that he wasn't the only one who had though of this – in fact, four of the teams his team had taken out were the ones they had found hiding near the edge of the lake. So to make sure that they were not found out, he had taken a map of the layout before the beginning of the tournament and found the best spot to hide. Not only was it well hidden, it was right near the edge of the lake and so anyone who wanted to make for the little island would be heard instantly.

Percy's ears' twitched. He'd heard something. He signaled to everyone to keep low and be alert. A minute later, he saw Annabeth, Sam and … Luke? He swore. He had forgotten – no rules. What was wrong with joining teams and gaining glory for both Athena and Hermes cabin? He gave the sign to approach the enemy. Tonight, he and his team of outsiders would walk away with the Flag.


	9. The Old One's Scheme

That night, Camp Half-Blood was festive. For the first time in the history of the one hundred year old camp, a team of undecided half-bloods had captured the flag. Such a thing was impossible, for several reasons. One; every team formed alliances or worked together to bring glory to their cabin, which made it more likely for them to win seeing as there were more of them, and by doing so, brought attention to their abilities and made themselves more likely to be chosen for quests, and also made themselves noticed in the eyes of their godly parents. Two; undecided half-bloods rarely had any apparent abilities or alliances, and therefore their chances of winning were very slim. Three; it was simply impossible. How could four undecided half-bloods beat tens of powerful half-bloods?

As for the three half-bloods who had managed to capture the flag, they were seated with their respective cabins. Yes, that's right. The gods, having watched this never before seen event, had decided to reward these young heroes. Zeus himself had ordered Dionysus to endow the flag with a new unique power; the power to reveal which cabin an undecided hero belonged to. While the flag normally turned into the emblem of the winning cabin, it simply went white when an undecided hero was the one to grasp it first. This usually happened on the rare occasions Hermes won the flag. But seeing as Luke, the best hero to ever come to camp (apart from his brother, Chris), Luke was the one who grasped the flag first, so a white flag was rarely seen. This was just as well, really, seeing as Casey, Simon and Jackie's hopes of getting decided had been riding on the flag.

And now the three heroes were happily sharing a festive meal with their respective cabins. Simon, who was a Hermes, was in a heated discussion with Luke, who seemed to have gotten into better spirits since losing the flag to Percy a few hours previously. Casey, a Hephaestus, was also in a heated discussion with Dave, one of the best metalworkers from that cabin. With the revealing of their cabins, all three heroes had unlocked their potential, and it was safe to say life would be much easier for them from now on. Jackie, belonging to the Athena cabin, was discussing art with Marcie, the girl who had been sketching the portrait of Homer back on Olympus. Annabeth watched the two with an amused air. They were so similar.

But there had been four man teams for this event of capture the flag. And so, when Percy, the final member of the group, had approached the flag, there had been a sudden earthquake. The flag had fallen from Dionysus' hands. The god of wine had been in a right temper, but all words had flown from his mouth, and everyone else's, when they saw something hanging above Percy's head. A green trident. The emblem of one of the Big Three, Poseidon, God of the Sea, and the second most powerful god alongside his brother, Hades. There had been a silence. A deafening silence. No one knew what to say. The Big Three weren't allowed to have children, not after what happened during World War II. So Poseidon had broken his oath spoken over the Styx. There had been a sudden storm. Clouds had appeared out of nowhere. Lightning illuminated the sky. Zeus' anger was felt. Percy had stood, calm, looking up at the sky. And then he had turned away from Chiron, Dionysus, and the floating green trident, and had walked away into the forest. He had walked past the Athena table.

And that was when the second shocking thing had happened. The bundle behind Percy's back, the bundle that everyone knew contained the Heavenly Sword of Kusanagi, an ancient Amazon weapon passed down from heroine to heroine, started to glow celestial bronze. Percy stopped in his tracks, and for the first time since he came back, there was an expression of utter shock on his face. The sword detached itself from Percy …

… And floated over to Annabeth. Percy turned round and looked at her, his face grim and pale. Several expressions passed across his eyes, too fast for Annabeth to see, but finally his eyes became inscrutable ice blue orbs again. Annabeth knew about Kusanagi. Who didn't? It was said only a man could unleash its full power, but at the cost of his own life. In the hands of a female, however, an inner power would manifest, and she would be encased in a magical shield that would help her survive things she couldn't otherwise. Percy, because he was the son of an Amazon warrior, had Amazon blood in him, and therefore was safe from the worst of it. Annabeth now realised that was how Percy had defeated Korgan the Destroyer, by drawing on the power of the Kusanagi. He was still as useless as ever when it came to controlling his innate half-blood power, his chakra.

After a short pause, Percy stirred.

"The Heavenly Sword of Kusanagi," he said. "It belonged to my mother. It chose her. But she died without a successor, and so it was my duty to guard it. But without any Amazon presence, there were no worthy candidates … but Athena, alongside Hera and Artemis, among other goddesses, are patrons of the Amazons. And so, it seems, my duty has been has been completed. Kusanagi has chosen someone to wield him." Percy had been speaking softly, so softly that only Annabeth and the few people around her could hear. He now looked directly into her eyes.

"It was my mother's. Look after it." With that, he turned round and resumed to walk back into the forest, the deep shadows immediately swallowing him.

"My, my," Sam commented from beside Annabeth. "Look's like Beth's got a new toy." Annabeth, for once, did not reprimand him for calling her Beth, something she hated. She looked down at Kusanagi, so simple and innocent looking, and yet one of the most powerful weapons in existence, capable of even damaging gods, in the right hands. She slowly lifted up the tattered sheath and unsheathed Kusanagi. Beautiful.

"Well, I've had enough of all this, Chiron," Mr. D said with disgust. "I've served my part. I'm going to sleep. And if anyone of them wakes me, I'll turn them into manure to feed the strawberry plants."

Morning. Another day at camp half-blood. But today, there was excitement in the air. Chiron had announced several nights previously, when the capture-the-flag ceremony was held, maybe as a way to try and distract everyone from the events that had occurred, that there would be a quest. It was a direct request from Mount Olympus. Zeus's master bolt needed to be found, and quickly. The god of the Skies was losing his temper. Already, for the first time ever, rain had fallen in Camp Half-Blood. Poseidon's decision to claim his son had not been received with good favour by Zeus. And neither had it been received well by anyone else, really. While most didn't get involved, one way or another, the majority of the camp had decided to perceive Percy as an enemy, or at the very least, an untrustworthy ally. Athena, Ares, Hephaestus and Demeter had already shown resentment toward Percy, in one form or another. For Ares, it was mainly because a weapon as powerful as the Kusanagi had been in the hands of a son of Poseidon, who was a dimwit and didn't know how to use it, and that it now belonged to a daughter of Athena, who was their sworn enemy, just like their god-parents.

Annabeth had gotten a new reputation at camp. She had been athletic before, and a competent fighter, but with the Kusanagi, she seemed to have transformed. She was a much better fighter. In fact, she was much better at everything. It also seemed even the dyslexia that all half-bloods suffered from had lessened. There had never been this much noise in the camp. After all, not ever had Zeus's bolt been stolen, not ever had there been a quest to find it, and not ever had there been a half-blood possessing a sword as old as the gods. Of course, Luke had challenged Annabeth to a friendly fight. They had exchanged blows with swords and other weapons, and had used all heir skill with their godly power, their chakra. They had taken their fight into the forest, fighting on the tree branches, and had taken it onto the rivers, standing on water while still fighting, something that took a lot of control and power. In the end, Luke had won. Annabeth did not seem put out in the least. Clarisse had watched the fight with interest, and so had many campers, just to see the outcome. It had been an uncertain one. On one hand, there was Annabeth, a bright girl wielding an ancient power, and on the other was Luke, the most powerful half-blood to ever come to camp, despite being only a son of Hermes. Luke had been all smiles, tired but pleased, both with the outcome and Annabeth's performance. It seemed his brief period of gloom had passed after losing the flag, and he even said sorry to everyone he offended, including Percy. Percy simply nodded acknowledgement before turning away.

Percy was another conundrum. He seemed to have retreated back into himself. Losing the only connection he had to his mother had been a damaging experience. Before he had been a stolid figure, but now he was merely quiet and polite. He did not challenge anyone who was rude to him, which was a good portion of the camp. He merely walked away. That alone made him the target of Ares. They hated cowards, and Percy was behaving like one. But Percy did not rise to the challenge. And losing the Kusanagi, he had removed the ceremonial clothes he had worn. Now he simply wore a pair of white sneakers, faded blue jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a long black cloak that reached the ground and had sleeves that covered his arms, shoulder to fingertips. The cloak had a hood, but Percy was never seen with it on, even when it was raining. The cloak disturbed a few people. It was pitch black in colour. It looked and felt perfectly normal, but as all half-bloods learnt, nothing was as it seemed. Annabeth especially had an adverse reaction to it. She had actually recoiled and drawn Kusanagi the first time they had met after the ceremony, in the forest. Percy had not even blinked. He had excused himself and walked past her and her friends and gone deeper into the forest. And then, during training, Luke and Percy had duelled. No one had seen it coming, but now that it had, quite a few people had come to see the son of Poseidon fight, without the aid of a mythical weapon. They had been shocked. For half an hour straight, Luke and Percy had danced a deadly dance, exchanging blow and counter blow, thrusts and ripostes, lunges and parries. The fight had been a simple sword fight, but it escalated to the point where they started using all the tricks they knew, from martial arts to magical powers (which was very low, seeing as half-bloods could only do so much with their chakra), everything within their abilities. It had been. It was with the Kusanagi that Percy had defeated Korgan. But after half an hour of an intense fight, both boys wove their bronze swords around each and pulled at the same time. Both swords went flying. There had been a silence. And then, "By the gods, Percy, that was an exhilarating fight!" Luke clapped, and for a moment Percy seemed perplexed. It was obvious this was the last thing he expected. But then the impassive expression came back to Percy's face and he nodded, once. Luke and Percy had been friends, back when Percy was first at camp. It seemed they still shared some form of that friendship.

XXX

"The people going on the quest are Clarisse, Grover, and Annabeth." The statement was met with scattering applause. Everyone had wanted to go, but it was up to Chiron to decide. It was night, and they were all having dinner by the big tables. As usual, Mr. D was sat beside Chiron, sipping at his coke with distaste, and as usual, his expression was one of utter uncaring and boredom.

"They will leave in the morning. They will be travelling to New York, where they shall begin their quest for Zeus's Lightning Bolt. May the gods be with them!"

"May the gods be with them." Chiron held out a scroll, and Clarisse, Grover, and Annabeth went over and accepted it. It contained the details of their quest. They sat down, but before dinner could resume, Chiron held a hand up for silence.

"There will be a second quest." Silence. Shock. "As the Apollo heroes have been suspecting for some time, the borders of the Camp are failing. I finally found out why; Thalia's tree has been poisoned. I have managed to slow down the poison, but unless a permanent cure is found, then we will no longer be safe within these borders." More shock. "This is why I have chosen a hero to go and find the one object that will be able to heal the tree and restore the borders: The Golden Fleece."

"The hero I have chosen is … Perseus Jackson." Out roar.

"Why does he get to go!?"

"That's favouritism!"

"He's unworthy! Without the Kusanagi, he's too weak!"

Percy got up from his table without a word and came to stand before Chiron. He accepted his scroll.

"You will set off tomorrow morning," Chiron said. Percy pocketed his scroll.

"If it's the same with you, I shall set off now, while the evening tide is still here."

"Why does he get to go alone! This quest will affect us all. Why aren't other going with him?" This came from Sam, a fellow Athena to Annabeth. He'd been begging for a quest for a while now.

"Percy has more experience than most of you, even though he hasn't been at Camp, and unlike any of you, he knows the Sea Of Monsters well, and has less chance of being caught unawares and getting killed. He's also a very experienced fighter. He is the best choice." That quietened down everyone and set them thinking. Just who was Percy? Percy bowed to Chiron, the scroll in his hands, and then to Mr. D, and finally to all the cabins.

"I shall return within three months, with the scroll." Percy placed the scroll within his cloak and bowed again before turning away. He walked toward the forest, and the other campers didn't realise they had all quietened down to watch the hope for their home go on his journey. Maybe it was this silence that made them aware of something wrong. In an instant, five black masses erupted from the forest. A keening suddenly filled the forest. It was the keening of Dryads. A second later, it became apparent why. At the feet of the five creatures, there were a dozen dead Dryads. The campers leapt into action. In seconds they had moved from their tables and had drawn any weapons they had on them. Those who didn't have weapons had a look of concentration on their faces as they prepared to use their martial arts skills in conjunction with their chakra, something they did rarely on account of the fact that using chakra drained them severely of energy. But monsters had just come to their camp, so every camper did what they could to stop them. The first to leap into action were Annabeth, Sam, Clarisse, and Luke. They ran at the monsters, Annabeth with her Kusanagi, Sam with his short swords, Clarisse with her electric spear, and Luke with his daggers. These four engaged two of the monsters while the Apollo kids readied their bows so as the shoot from a safe distance. In seconds Annabeth and Luke had destroyed one monster, while Clarisse and Sam killed another. Before anyone could move in on the other three monsters, the other three very big hellhounds, they stopped as they saw Percy walk slowly towards them.

"His eyes," Clarisse said, getting ready jump into the fray the moment Percy was annihilated. "What's wrong with his eyes?" They all looked, and Percy's eyes had changed colour. They had been blue before, but now they were sea-green, and they seemed to be glowing. The hellhounds held back from pouncing, and it seemed as if they were almost afraid of attacking. Percy seemed to encompass all of them in his gaze.

"Tell me who it is and I'll spare you the pain of being vanquished." The hellhounds whimpered and growled at the same time, but they must have decided on something, because all of a sudden the bounded toward Percy. Percy shook his head slowly.

"So be it," he said. As they came near, his hands suddenly appeared from within his cloak. He threw several golden items, one after the other, and there was a trail of gold following these. As the hellhounds came near, and the other campers rushed forward, Percy suddenly pulled on something, and the hellhounds were suddenly pulled back, their backs ramming a tree trunk, hard. Now that they weren't moving, the campers could see that Percy had thrown several bronze shuriken, and had expertly guided their path with bronze wire, and now the three hellhounds were tied to the tree trunk, and Percy had four strings tied to his right fingers, holding the hellhounds fast.

"Tell me who has summoned you here." All three hellhounds growled at him, hatred burning red in their eyes. Percy tightened the string of wire, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The wire started glowing. The hellhounds howled with pain.

"I can make this a hundred times worse. Now tell me who summoned you." The wire's glow increased tenfold, and it now seemed like it were celestial bronze ropes restraining the hellhounds, and not simple string wire. And yet, despite coming into contact with celestial bronze, the hellhounds weren't vanquished. Perhaps this was why they felt so much pain. Simply the sight of celestial bronze made any monster flinch. To be tightly wound by and not feel release, even though the release was painful, must be maddening.

"Alright!" Silence. Again. Everyone blinked. Had the first hellhound just spoken? It might have been throaty and deep, but it was definitely a voice. Impossible! Hellhounds were not able to speak! The glow of the wire decreased a bit. The red fires in the eyes of the hellhounds seemed to have dimmed, and instead of hatred and bloodlust, they now only radiated relief.

Percy's eyes focused on the hellhound who had spoken.

"Tell me what you know," he said. The hellhound somehow managed to laugh.

"I know many things, hero, including the fact that two certain people were killed a few nights ago. Their names were Matsuda and Al-Sahib." Percy's face tightened, and his mouth was hanging open, something he had not done since he was five years old. How could Matsuda and Al-Sahib, the best warriors in the world, could have been killed? In that moment, his hold on the wire slackened, and the two other hellhounds broke free without a second thought. They rushed toward Percy.

"Percy!" Sam shouted in warning, him and Clarisse making their way toward Percy. This was no time for questions, only battle, and battles where what heroes were born into. But before they even took three paces, a force seemed to slam into the two hellhounds. They flew across the ground and landed back at the tree trunk, twenty-five feet backwards. A bronze knife was in each of their foreheads. They disintegrated in a shower of golden sparkles. Percy expression was set in stone.

"I have tangled with bigger monsters than you. It will take more than that half-hearted effort to kill me. Now, tell me all I want to know." All this time, Percy had not once lost control of himself. His tone was still calm and collected, even though his glowing sea green eyes said he was on the verge of losing control. The power of the sea, it seemed, did not like being controlled, not one bit. But just as the hellhound opened his mouth to answer, a black hole appeared below him, and he and the entire tree were sucked down in the blink of an eye. Percy twitched his fingers and the wire untied from the shuriken buried in the tree trunk. He rolled up the wire and placed it within his cloak. He stood there, his back to everyone, standing absolutely still. And then, taking a breath, he turned round. He held a scroll in his hand.

"I can no longer take this quest, Chiron," he said. He was still clean, no sign of dirt on him, despite having tangled with three large hellhounds. The campers had gone silent, but now they all started talking at once, to each other, and mostly to Chiron. They wanted answers.

"Silence!" everyone shut up at once. Mr. D rarely raised his voice, and when it did, something bad tended to happen. Just ask the strawberry tree by the big house that used to be a happy camper. But this time, all Mr. D did was stand up, and a moment later, he vanished. Chiron had a worried look on his face. Everything was moving too fast, he thought, simply too fast. Just what grand scheme was at work?

"Why?" Chiron said, addressing camp.

"Because I'm leaving camp, for good." That statement sparked some shocked looks. A son of the Big Three out on his own in the world. He would attract monsters like honey did bees.

"Why?" Chiron said again.

"I need to find out what happened to Master Matsuda and Master Al-Sahib. If they are indeed dead, I need to take their bodies to their final resting places. And I need to avenge them. After that, I need to resume my own quest. I had thought camp would help me do this quest, but now I see it cannot. Too many plots surround this place. It will only hinder me."

"And which quest would this be?" Chiron said calmly. Percy looked him in the eye. His eyes had turned blue again the moment the hellhound had been sent back to the Underworld.

"To find my mother. I found out from Master A… from a Master that she wasn't killed outside the borders three years ago. Someone performed a teleportation spell before the Minotaur could kill her. I need to find her. She's still alive." Percy threw the scroll to Chiron. "I'm leaving." With that, he turned round and started walking toward the forest.

"You coward!" Clarisse shouted. "You can't just leave Camp Half-Blood to its doom to pursue some fanciful, made-up, quest!" Percy stopped in his tracks. He turned round.

"Being a daughter of Ares, I can understand why you would say that." Clarisse spat on the ground.

"Don't give me that! We need every camper to defend the weakening borders or we're all dead."

"You saw the hellhounds," Annabeth added. "They managed to squeeze through the borders. You're a good fighter. You may not have Kusanagi anymore, but you can still help." Percy rolled his eyes.

"The borders may be weakening, but they haven't weakened that much. Those hellhounds were summoned from inside the borders. That's what I meant by the plots surrounding this Camp. I thought you would have figured it out by now, daughter of Athena. This camp has a traitor, and not even the Golden Fleece will protect you from monsters as long as there's a traitor in here to summon a horde of monsters." Percy suddenly stopped. He looked up into the sky. A troubled expression was on his face. One was on Chiron's too. "Besides," he continued, "finding Zeus's Bolt is of more importance at this juncture. The last thing the world needs is someone running around with the deadliest weapon around and an angry sky god. And the borders will hold for six months before any monsters start getting through. Chiron managed to slow down the poison that much. I should have finished my business by then, so I'll help look for the Golden Fleece, and if not … well, you're on your own." Percy shrugged. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Percy!" Luke said. "Fine, you can go and look for your Masters, but finding your mother? That will take far too long, if you manage it at all. At least bury your Masters and then help us look for the Fleece. We'll help you look for your mother afterwards. You don't have to join camp if you don't want to." Percy turned toward him. He looked at the scar on Luke's cheek.

"So that was Chris's parting memento," he murmured. Suddenly, the troubled look disappeared from Percy's face. He grabbed something out of the air, which turned out to be a quiver and bow. They had dropped from the sky. He put on the quiver and bow over his shoulder. "I'll think about it," he said. With that, he jumped into the sky, five metres up. He didn't come back down. A moment later, a black shadow became apparent in the moonless sky. It was a Pegasus. A Black Pegasus. They had all seen Pegasi before, but this one radiated an inner strength and power none of them had seen before.

"Let's go, Blackfire!" Percy said above the howl of the wind. The two disappeared in the night sky.

XXX

Shadow roiled all around, making the surroundings indistinguishable. A feeling of dread was in the air, and there was a large and malignant presence about the place.

"He is on his way to find Matsuda and Al-Sahib." The statement came from nowhere, but the voice was distinguishably teen and male.

"Good. That will make the task much easier to perform. I shall send a few guests to wait for him by the Mountainside. They will bring him to me, so there is no need for you to reveal yourself."

"I understand."

There was a cold chuckle. "You want to fight him, I can tell. It seems even without the great Kusanagi, one of the few weapons made from cold iron, but with greater proper power than celestial bronze, he is still a formidable foe. With my backing, you would no doubt beat him, but I don't want one of my few and loyal servants out of action unnecessarily." The threat behind the speech was obvious.

"I understand."

"Good. Now you shall hand over the shoes your father gave you to that besotted little daughter of Athena. The Kusanagi will make a great addition to my armoury. It's no more powerful than the one I am having made for you, Backbiter, so there is no need to get jealous. But be warned, like all weapons possessed by great heroes, the harder the trial you have to go through to earn it, the more useful it will be for you. That is why very few heroes ever tried to steal the weapons of gods and titans, and if they did, that's why they never kept them for long. It's one of those "cosmic things" as you children so eloquently put it."

"So that's why I couldn't keep Zeus's Master Bolt."

"No," came the blunt reply. "You are a son of Hermes, the god of thieves. Such rules would be much reduced in your case seeing as stealing is in your blood and nature. You are simply too honest to be a thief, too single-minded. But don't worry. Once you earn Backbiter, you will finally be able to track down and kill your traitor of a brother, Chris."

"Yes," came the reply, and for a moment, it wasn't clear which was the more malignant presence. After a second, the cold voice chuckled, changing the atmosphere to its favour again.

"Yes, soon all of our goals shall be accomplished, and soon I will be back in power. Now tell me all you know of this Perseus Jackson. He sounds like trouble, and I have been unable to enter his dreams, which makes me think he has been taught everything that Matsuda and Al-Sahib know, and some more. He can nullify magic, if only the little I can use in this state. He may not be able to use much magic, maybe as much as you, but he knows a great deal more on it. He has another Master. I need you to tell me all about him in case he escapes from the monsters in China and goes to the Sea Of Monsters in search of the Golden Fleece, in which case I will need to ready Polyphemus and any other forces to stall the boy. This could be both advantageous and disadvantageous seeing as if he does come back to Camp, you can steal the Fleece to help heal me, and should this Perseus prove as wild as his father, we can use it to bring another person into the equation who will be more … tractable. And also, seeing as the Stirring has begun, it will not be long before the situation is in my favour."

"You are very wise, master. Such a thick plot with twist and turns. They will be too confused to counter properly. We shall prevail."

"We shall."

XXX

Percy's sharp eyes easily picked out the two bodies laid side by side. His sharp mind was already working overtimes, so by the time he landed, he was calm and focused. He looked at Al-Sahib and Matsuda. For over two years, they had been training him in the arts of fighting, of thinking, of being a great hero, and of being the best man he could be. They had succeeded, for he had learnt all they taught him from their great treasure trove of knowledge. But now, they were gone. He bent down and studied them closely. They had accumulated many wounds whilst fighting a horde of different monsters it seemed from the tracks on the ground, and they had defeated them all. But as he looked into their eyes, it wasn't the acceptance of death all great warriors had, but one of surprise. They had both been great warriors who were steeped in the secret world of the gods and monsters. Very few could have surprised them. He murmured a few words and the bead necklace Matsuda gave him vibrated against his neck a little. After a second, it stopped. It was as he expected. They had been killed using magic, and very potent magic at that for Matsuda and Al-Sahib were good magicians, having dealt with the secrets of the gods from their own perspective; Matsuda from the viewpoint of Buddha and the spirits called Kami; and Al-Sahib from the viewpoint of the Egyptian pantheon of gods. But they had been killed with magic nonetheless, their souls sent straight to the Underworld, which was very strong magic, considering it was stepping onto the territory of a god, Hades, god of the Underworld.

Percy got up and took a deep breath. It was no good finding the monsters that did this, for monsters never truly died, and hunting those down would bring no satisfaction. Matsuda wouldn't like it anyway. The only thing to do would be to find the person who had orchestrated this ambush, for that's what it was, a very thought out ambush tricky enough to fool two good warriors.

But first, he had to deal with the horde of monsters that had been gathering in the gloom surrounding the clearing. He looked down at the two Masters, finally at peace after fighting so long and so hard. He knew they would get into one of the three Elysian Islands.

He turned round and brought his hands together. Gathering a large chunk of his energy, he summoned it to his hands and electricity began to spark from his hands. He stretched out his hands before him, and the sound of sliding metal filled the forest. Two bronze blades belonging to short swords slid out from the metal sheaths he always carried on his forearms, and acted as great vambraces as well. Green electricity sparked from the twenty inch blades. They electricity would induce paralysis and slow down the enemies. After all that had happened, he needed to vent his emotions, and there was nothing like a good fight to do exactly that. By this time, monsters had formed a ring around him. He dived straight into them. He would be on his way to the Sea Of Monsters in the morning, flying on a well-rested Pegasus.

Blackfire watched calmly from a higher ledge on the mountainside, grazing and saving energy for the long flight tomorrow. He knew Percy would win. He always did. Ever since that very difficult fight a year ago, he had felt greatly attached to the boy. He was centuries old, and had seen much, but this was the first person to impress him. Plus, he owed his life to Percy. He thought about saying encouraging words to the boy, but then thought that would only disgruntle and make the boy lose focus. Percy was not as yet embracing to the powers of his god-blood. He believed in doing things with his own power and will. A worthy principle, but a hindering one nonetheless. He could smell the coming war. Percy need to be ready by that time, and he would be there to help every step of the way.


End file.
